Research
We experience the world through the connection between what we do and what we sense. Moving a hand, touching a surface, or playing an instrument changes the feedback we receive—and how the world feels.
We study these sensorimotor relationships and use them to design interactive technology. Our work combines experiments on perception and action with new ways of sensing movement, creating tactile feedback, and integrating devices with the body.
Understanding perception
Perception is something we do. To feel a surface, we move our fingers, change how hard we press, and adjust our speed. These actions change the sensory information we receive, which in turn guides our next movement.
We use touch to study this continuous exchange between action and sensation. By measuring how people explore textures and manipulating the feedback they receive, we investigate how movement, physical signals and expectations come together to create experiences of roughness, softness and resistance.
Our experiments combine precise measurements with people's reports of what they feel. This helps us understand human perception and design interactive systems that work with the way our bodies sense and act.
Sensorimotor Augmentation
Touch is active. When a finger moves across wood, the vibrations it creates help us feel the surface. By measuring movement and adapting tactile feedback in response, we can change how virtual and physical objects feel.
We investigate how this relationship can create experiences of texture, force, and connected materials. We also explore whether feedback can extend perception, and how it affects the feeling of controlling our own actions.
Recent examples include bimanual material experiences in VR and Faster Than Muscle. Earlier foundations include bARefoot and Paul's SIGCHI dissertation award talk.
Body Integrated Systems
Wearable technology can do more than put a screen or a tracker on the body. Devices that closely connect sensing and feedback can become part of how we move, express ourselves, and interact with our surroundings.
We investigate how information can be communicated through the body, how devices can fit comfortably into everyday movement, and when a technology feels like an extension of ourselves. This brings together physical design with questions about perception, control, and agency.
Examples include Sensorimotor Devices and SkillSleeves.
New Materials, Sensors & Actuators
New interactions need suitable materials and hardware: sensors that capture subtle movements, actuators that create carefully timed feedback, and soft electronics that move with the body. We develop these building blocks alongside the experiences they enable.
Craft remains central to this work. Textile and material practices offer ways to make devices that are adaptable, repairable, and personally meaningful. Sharing accessible fabrication methods also helps more people experiment with interactive materials.
Examples include our all-textile movement sensor and PolySense.