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EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sensor Technologies and Applications in an Uncertain World

 

Design of tangible and embodied interaction

The “Internet of Things” refers to a generation of digital technologies that are becoming integrated into our homes, offices, vehicles and clothing. These devices include CPUs, memory and networking capabilities, but those capabilities could be located anywhere in the cloud. The things that make IoT devices interesting is the ways that we interact with them, or that they interact with their context. And of course, sensing is the fundamental principle in such interaction. This talk will describe how we design such interactive devices, from the perspective of human factors such as usability and efficiency, and also considering the need for innovation when we imagine interactive functionality that is completely different to the affordances of screens, keyboards or mice.

Alan Blackwell

Alan Blackwell

Computer Laboratory
University of Cambridge

Alan Blackwell is Professor of Interdisciplinary Design at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. He leads a research group that develops new theoretical principles and design approaches for interactive computer systems, with a particular emphasis on visualisation, music audio, novel programming languages, and interaction with artificial intelligence systems.