Human digital twin for long-distance relationships: a scoping review

Qing Li, A. Baki Kocaballi and Jaime Garcia

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2026, vol. 45, issue 3, 541-563

Abstract: Human Digital Twins (HDTs), building upon the concept of Digital Twins (DTs), offer transformative potential for seamless human interaction across physical and virtual worlds. This review aims to establish the groundwork for utilising HDTs in Long-Distance Relationships (LDRs) to enrich the quality of human connections over geographical separations. Searching from four academic databases, this paper examines current DT research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and synthesises existing LDR solutions across commercial and research realms, including communication technologies, social media platforms, wearable and tangible interfaces, Extended Reality (XR) and immersive telepresence, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based companions. The findings reveal significant gaps in the research of broad DTs in HCI communities and highlight the limitations of current LDR solutions. To address these challenges, this study envisions HDTs encompassing both microscopic (individual) and macroscopic (dyadic) dimensions, offering a novel approach to enhancing emotional and experiential closeness despite geographical separation. Several potential scenarios for HDT integration in LDRs are presented, demonstrating its capability to enhance LDR interactions.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2025.2523446

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