Abstract: While computing has become deeply woven into our everyday lives, and robots are emerging in various forms, such as robotic vacuums and avatars, I believe ‘actuated’ technologies have yet to be seamlessly integrated into our environments—despite their unique potential to affect the physical world dynamically. At the Actuated Experience Lab (AxLab), we explore the fusion of interactive ‘actuated’ technology with everyday materials and spaces to design, prototype, and speculate on the future of interactive experiences, guided by the vision of computer ‘actuated’ environments. In this talk, I will discuss a series of AxLab’s research projects through a dual approach that bridges engineering and design—leveraging technical innovation to expand actuation possibilities while using design inquiry to rethink interaction paradigms.
Bio: Ken Nakagaki is an interaction designer and HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) researcher from Japan. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s computer science department, where he founded the Actuated Experience Lab, or AxLab, in 2022. His research focuses on inventing and designing novel user interface technologies that seamlessly combine dynamic digital information or computational aids into daily physical tools and materials.
Before joining UChicago, he received his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab, under the supervision of Prof. Hiroshi Ishii. Ken has presented at top HCI conferences (e.g. ACM CHI, UIST, TEI) and led demonstrations of his work at international exhibitions and museums, including the Ars Electronica Festival. He has received the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Japan & Asia Pacific, the Japan Media Arts Festival, and the James Dyson Award.
AxLab web: https://www.axlab.cs.uchicago.edu/