ReHome Earth: A VR-Based Concept Validation for AI-Driven Space Homesickness Interventions

TL;DR

ReHome Earth introduces a VR-based prototype and space installation concept to address astronaut homesickness, providing emotional support through AI-driven interventions validated with terrestrial participants.

Contribution

This work presents a novel space installation concept and VR prototype for emotional support, along with empirical insights into AI-driven interventions for extreme isolation.

Findings

Strong emotional resonance with the design

Validation of three key design implications

Feasible space installation and VR prototype

Abstract

Space exploration has advanced rapidly, but the emotional needs of astronauts on long-duration missions remain underexplored. We present ReHome Earth, a dual-component design approach addressing space homesickness: 1) a future-oriented installation concept integrating transparent OLED displays with spaceship windows for real-time Earth connectivity, and 2) a functional VR prototype simulating astronaut isolation for testing AI-generated content effectiveness. Since accessing astronauts during missions is impossible, we conducted concept validation with terrestrial participants experiencing geographic displacement. Through evaluation with 84 proxy participants and 6 HCI experts, we demonstrate strong emotional resonance and validate three design implications: emotional pacing mechanisms, explainable biophysical feedback systems, and evolution from individual tools to collective affective infrastructure. Our contributions include a technically feasible space installation concept, a functional VR prototype for space HCI research, and empirical insights into the design of AI-driven emotional support systems for extreme isolation environments.