Human bodies as interaction materials for somatic, social, and multisensory Virtual Reality experiences

Recently, the field of Human-Computer Interaction has begun to embrace the crucial role of our bodies across our cognitive and social processes. The movement of embodied interaction has been followed by a somatic and material turn that strives to design technology for richer multi-sensory somatic experiences. Despite the booming developments in tangible and wearable technologies, there is strikingly limited research exploring the potential of our own physical and virtual bodies to become the material for the design of interaction, in the same ways that tangible materials are. In this position paper, we propose a series of approaches for designing technology for social interaction, that integrate human bodies as interaction materials to elicit a multisensory embodied experience. We illustrate this approach with examples of several virtual reality experiences that we have designed for supporting social connection

Designing with biosignals: Challenges, opportunities, and future directions for integrating physiological signals in human-computer interaction

Biosensing technologies are a rapidly increasing presence in our daily lives. These sensor-based technologies measure physiological processes including heart rate, breathing, skin conductance, brain activity and more. Researchers are exploring biosensing from perspectives including: engineering, human-computer interaction, medicine, mental health, consumer products, and interactive art. These technologies can enhance our interactions allowing connection to our bodies and others around us across diverse application areas. However, designing with biosignals in Human-Computer Interaction presents new challenges pertaining to User Experience, Input/Output, interpretation of signals, representation, and ethics. There is an urgent need to build a scholarly community that includes the diverse perspectives of researchers, designers, industry practitioners and policymakers. The goal of this workshop is to leverage the knowledge of this community aiming to map out the research landscape of emerging challenges and opportunities, and to build a research agenda for future directions