TreeB612: Exploring Interactions for Distant Human-Nature Engagement

Opportunities for people to connect with everyday nature have diminished. In response, research efforts have introduced both direct and remote approaches to improve human–nature connections. However, most work has relied heavily on visual and auditory media as the main channels for remote human–nature interfaces. In this study, we investigate what experiential factors and forms of human–nature connection emerge from an interface without screens or audio. To inform design, we surveyed 55 respondents to understand expectations for remote nature engagement. Guided by these insights, we designed TreeB612, enabling one-on-one engagement with a distant living entity—a single tree. We conducted a 7-day deployment study with 10 participants, using diaries to explore how the interface shaped everyday engagement. Our findings suggest that the interface fostered coexistence and care, evoked the chosen tree through imagination and moments of respite, and encouraged subtle shifts in how people related to nature, advancing approaches to nature connection.