Co-Designing Programmable Fidgeting Experience with Swarm Robots for Adults with ADHD
Samira Pulatova, Lawrence H Kim · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility · doi:10.1145/3663548.3675614
Summary
This paper explores how small tabletop swarm robots can provide customisable fidgeting experiences for adults with ADHD through co-design sessions with 16 diagnosed participants. Fidgeting — repetitive body movements or object manipulation — has been shown to benefit people with ADHD by supporting concentration, emotional regulation, and energy management, yet traditional fidget devices offer fixed, one-size-fits-all affordances (spinning, clicking, squeezing) that do not account for individual differences in fidgeting preferences or contextual needs. The researchers used Toio robots — small programmable cubes that can move autonomously on a tabletop surface — as a design probe to explore how programmable, interactive fidgeting could address these limitations. Each co-design session followed a structured format: participants first discussed their current fidgeting behaviours and needs, then explored the robots through free interaction, and finally co-designed their ideal fidgeting experiences by specifying robot behaviours, movement patterns, sensory feedback, and interaction modes. The robots could be programmed to exhibit various behaviours — moving in patterns, responding to touch, vibrating, producing sounds, and interacting with each other as a swarm. Participants could customise speed, movement patterns, haptic feedback intensity, sound, and the number of robots involved. The study examined what elements define successful fidgeting interactions, the importance of customisability, common trends across participants, and additional benefits that robot-mediated fidgeting might provide beyond traditional devices.
Key findings
Participants identified five core elements of successful fidgeting interactions with robots: tactile engagement (touching, holding, feeling movement), visual engagement (watching robot movement patterns), auditory feedback (rhythmic sounds from movement), unpredictability (slight randomness maintaining interest without causing distraction), and agency (the ability to control and customise behaviour). Customisability emerged as the most valued feature — participants wanted to adjust fidgeting experiences based on their current emotional state, task demands, and environment. For high-stress moments, participants preferred slow, rhythmic, predictable robot movements; for low-focus periods, they preferred faster, more stimulating patterns. The swarm aspect was particularly compelling — multiple robots moving in coordinated patterns provided a mesmerising visual and tactile experience that participants found more engaging than single-device fidgeting. Several participants described wanting context-aware fidgeting: robots that could sense their stress level and automatically adjust behaviour. A recurring theme was the social dimension — participants appreciated that robot fidgeting looked more "professional" and less stigmatised than traditional fidget toys in work settings, and some envisioned shared fidgeting experiences that could serve as social icebreakers. The study also revealed that participants' fidgeting needs varied dramatically, confirming that programmability rather than fixed affordances is essential for serving the ADHD population.
Relevance
This research reframes fidgeting from a disruptive behaviour to be suppressed into a legitimate self-regulation strategy that can be supported through thoughtful design. For accessibility practitioners, the work demonstrates that neurodivergent users have highly individualised sensory and interaction needs that fixed-affordance devices cannot address — a principle applicable to many assistive technology domains beyond fidgeting. The co-design methodology with ADHD adults models how to centre neurodivergent expertise in technology design. The finding that context-aware, adjustable sensory experiences are preferred over static ones has implications for how workplaces and educational environments accommodate ADHD — rather than banning fidgeting, environments should support customisable self-regulation tools. The social stigma findings are particularly relevant, highlighting that assistive tools for invisible disabilities must consider not just functionality but social acceptability. The swarm robotics approach opens new design space for tangible, embodied interaction that goes beyond the screen-based interventions that dominate ADHD technology research.
Tags: ADHD · fidgeting · swarm robots · co-design · emotional regulation · sensory stimulation · neurodiversity · tangible interaction · customisation