Mutual
Everyday intimacy and shared care in long-distance relationships.
A Bachelor’s project by Daria Savchenko
7th semester, 2025/2026
Supervisors: Prof. Tsunemitsu Tanaka and Prof. Andrea Krajewski
Everyday intimacy
The project is aimed at people in long-distance relationships. In this type of relationship, everyday intimacy is often lacking due to geographical distance – those little routines, shared activities and shared responsibilities that are experienced when living together. However, couples in long-distance relationships often try to create a sense of everyday life through daily phone calls or gaming together. Mutual offers a different approach to this: caring for a digital pet together.
Adoption
The process begins on the Mutual platform, which operates in partnership with Darmstadt Animal Shelter. Partners adopt a digital pet, with part of the monthly subscription fee going directly to the shelter.
The pets have individual personalities and care requirements – ranging from calm, sleepy types to energetic young animals. This means every couple can find a pet whose care needs suit their own lifestyle.
A shared home
The pet regards the partners’ desktops as two rooms in a shared home. It behaves in line with the patterns of behaviour seen in real animals: it seeks attention until its needs for food, affection or play are met. Because of this lifelike behaviour, the partners must coordinate with one another. This prevents the pet – perhaps out of sheer exuberance – from being fed by both partners in quick succession.
Shared responsibility
As the animal changes not only with age but also as a result of its owners’ actions, looking after it becomes a real responsibility. An animal that is constantly overfed becomes lethargic and puts on weight; a neglected animal withdraws or becomes weak. Through this realistic experience, couples in long-distance relationships can digitally experience a shared household and, with it, everyday intimacy.
Technology
The system is based on three components: Tauri, a cloud server and a database.
Tauri processes the interface and user inputs from the desktop app.
The cloud server controls the rule-based logic governing the animal’s behaviour in two ways: WebSockets enable immediate real-time communication (e.g. switching the animal from one computer to another). An API manages long-term data such as logins and vital signs, which are stored over several days.
The PostgreSQL database stores the animal’s complete history, including health status, age and diet.
Privacy is protected by secure tokens and encrypted connections. This ensures that only verified partners are connected within the system and that the shared digital space remains private and secure.
