Designing Future Interfaces

We are interested in designing, implementing and evaluating the next generation of computer interfaces. Within this research theme we are inventing novel physical and tangible interfaces, wearables, large scale installations, cross-device interactions and mobile technologies. We are interested in pushing the boundary, often by questioning and re-envisioning current forms of interaction with technology.

Projects

The VoiceViz project: Collaboration with GOSH

Developing novel technologies for digital health with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)

We are collaborating with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), studying, designing and deploying novel technologies for different application areas in digital health. This year GOSH launched DRIVE (Digital Research, Informatics and Virtual Environments) – a brand new living lab where novel technology interventions can be investigated and evaluated in a safe environment to see how they might be effectively used by clinicians and patients. The Living Lab can be set up in various ways to enable clinicians, students, families and their sick children (who are about to be released from ... Read more…

A-IoT

Future Everyday Interaction with the Autonomous Internet of Things

A-IoT is an EPSRC funded 3-year project investigating interaction mechanisms for an autonomous Internet of Things (IoT). An Autonomous IoT actively manages data and decisions on behalf of users, drawing upon machine learning techniques and optimization algorithms. However, it is critical to still allow users to make informed choices about their general needs and comfort. Nascent instantiations of the A-IoT range from smart thermostats that learn to autonomously control central heating systems based on the presence of users and their routine, to washing machines that order detergent for delivery when it runs out. But how should interactions with autonomous systems be engineered to support users' daily activities? To what extent may users be willing to delegate agency to A-IoT systems in everyday contexts? These are some of the key questions our project aims to address.

Human Manufactoring

The purpose of the Human Manufactoring project is to create a healthy workplace to supports the workers' capabilities so to increase the competitiveness of the manufacturing firms through the creation of an optimal environment for human automation integration and cooperation. We are investigating the use of Thermal cameras among other sensors to capture workers's mental stress.

PhysiKit

Data Engagement Through Physical Ambient Visualizations in the Home

Data Engagement Through Physical Ambient Visualizations in the Home. Physikit is an exciting new platform that makes data tangible in your home. A Physikit set contains four interactive physical components - the light, vibe, move, and air cubes - and a clear drag-and-drop web interface that allows these components to be linked to datasets such as sensor readings. The physical cubes show values and changes in this data in four different visual and clear, yet ambient and unobtrusive, ways. By combining the Physikit with a sensor platform such as SmartCitizen, ... Read more…

SmallTalk

Physical Questionnaires for Children

SmallTalk is a physical questionnaire system consisting of several boxes specifically designed to gather feedback and opinions from young children, tailored to an immersive theatre performance called Dusk. Read more…

CodeMe

Creativity and Coding

CodeMe is a novel starter Internet of Things toolkit with a difference: it fuses creativity, coding and sensor-based interactions through a range of making and programming activities. It is inended to be used in classrooms and after school settings for a wide range of age groups to learn about systems thinking, IOT concepts, sensor technology and physical computing programming through enjoyable collaborative learning activities. Read more…

HuddleLamp

Cross-Device Interaction Techniques

Huddlelamp is a desk lamp with an integrated low-cost depth camera that enables users to compose interactive tables (or other multi-device user interfaces) from their tablets and smart phones by placing them in the tracked space. Read more…

VoxBox

Physical questionnaires

VoxBox is a physical questionnaire system that invites people at events to share through playful interactions, their views and opinions using a range of physical input controls, such as sliders, dials, buttons, and spinners. Read more…

WatchConnect

Prototyping Cross-Device Smartwatch Interactions

Smartwatches give people lightweight and immediate access to messages, notifications, and other digital data while on the go. While already powerful as standalone devices, the capabilities of smartwatches increase significantly when used in tandem with other devices that people carry, such as their phones or tablets, which allows for novel cross-device interaction techniques. However, so far there are only a relatively small number of explorations into watch-centric, cross-device interaction techniques. Building and exploring cross-device interaction techniques and applications is a difficult task, as most existing development kits have only limited ... Read more…

Urban IoT

Enhancing the social, economic and environmental well being of cities

The Intel Collaborative Research Institute (ICRI), a joint collaboration between UCL and Imperial ran from 2012- 2018. The research was concerned with user-centered and technical aspects of sustainable and connected cities. For example, the capstone project focused on developing novel IoT technologies at scale and testing them in situ, in the harsh realities of the city. A core theme was how to explicitly bring citizens into the loop of Urban IoT; we employed citizen engagement to enable local communities to be more proactive in collecting and making sense of urban data for their own personal/ community gains while providing valuable new data in the form of citizen experiences and feedback.