UCLIC Research Seminar Series

UCLIC Research Seminar 18th May: Hasti Seifi, Haptic Experience Design - From Simple Vibrations to Touch-Perceiving Robots
Hasti Seifi, University of Copenhagen
Location: 66-72 Gower Street, Room G01

Title

UCLIC Research Seminar 18th May: Hasti Seifi, Haptic Experience Design - From Simple Vibrations to Touch-Perceiving Robots

Abstract

Haptics, the science and technology of programmable touch experiences, is increasingly used to improve functionality and user experience in virtual reality, robotics, and wearable applications. Yet, haptic technology is complex and specialized. The impact of haptics is currently hampered by the difficulty of designing it. My goal is to create a future where everyone can understand, access, and adapt touch technology for their needs. In this talk, I present my research toward this goal in the areas of haptic personalization, multisensory design, haptic technology collections, and social physical interactions with robots. Finally, I discuss the remaining steps toward a future where effective and fun virtual touch experiences are designed, tailored, and embraced by all.

  1. VibViz: Organizing, Visualizing and Navigating Vibration Libraries https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7177722/
  2. In the Arms of a Robot: Designing Autonomous Hugging Robots with Intra-Hug Gestures https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3526110

Biography

Hasti Seifi is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests lie at the intersection of human-computer interaction, haptics, and social robotics. Her work was recognized by an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (2018), the EuroHaptics best Ph.D. thesis award (2017), and a Maria Klawe award for her efforts in computer science diversity and outreach (2017). Hasti serves the HCI and haptics communities in various roles such as the program co-chair of EuroHaptics 2022 and an associate chair of IEEE WHC, ACM CHI, and ACM UIST conferences.