Research question
What effects does an extension of our body have on our perception of personal space?
Experiment
By building a cardboard box around the waist of the researcher, the bodily movements were interfered with and so the researcher had to move their body based on the space the cardboard box took up. It was originally meant to form a clear boundary between the person wearing the tool and other people in the space. It was interesting to see that that perspective changed during the experiment.
Findings
At first, the researcher was very aware of the line between them and the box. A clear boundary of the personal space was perceived. However, further in the experiment and with more bodily movements through space, the researcher started to experience the tool as its own body and suddenly people standing near the tool felt invasive of their personal space, even though the distance was still the same between the two people. Wearing the tool moved from feeling awkward and aware to being empowered and in control.
