Belated Hugs is an interactive installation exploring grief, regret and unresolved emotions after the loss of someone close. The project uses the act of hugging as an emotional interface, translating absence and remembrance into a physical encounter through an inflatable form designed to be held and embraced.

The installation combines motion recognition, pressure sensing, Arduino control and an air-pump system to respond to the participant’s presence and touch. Visual feedback changes as the interaction progresses, turning a private gesture of remembrance into an embodied experience that reflects on connection, emotional release and the relationship between the living and the absent.