Human Interactive Materials

<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="TextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">Human Interactive Materials </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">group </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">develops material systems that connect people, machines and their surroundings through information exchange and physical feedback. We combine </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW14267730 BCX0">materials</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0"> chemistry, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">engineering</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0"> and design so </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW14267730 BCX0">matter</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0"> can sense signals, process information, communicate and act. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">App</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">li</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">cation </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">spans haptics, soft robotics, materials for computing and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">new optical materials for AR/VR</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW14267730 BCX0">.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW14267730 BCX0"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Human Interactive Materials studies how materials participate in interaction and feedback. We design molecular structures and material architectures that sense, transform or store physical and chemical signals and return them as tactile, mechanical, optical or electrical output. This connects people, machines and their surroundings through functions embedded in matter. Liquid crystals are one enabling platform. Our work links chemistry and processing with modelling, electronics and interaction-focused prototyping.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Four research lines drive our work: Haptics, Soft Robotics, Materials for Computing and New Materials. Together, they connect material capabilities with interaction and information flow. Examples include an octopus-inspired suction cup that uses light to lift loads many times its own weight, mimosa-inspired materials that pass signals from one unit to another, and bistable actuators with rapid snap-through motion. We also develop wearable fibre arrays for remote touch and trainable polymers that retain information from training and use it to control motion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our work <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">makes </span>information more accessible and machines safer and easier to control. Refreshable tactile displays translate digital content into patterns that can be felt, enabling people with visual impairments to access text, graphics and controls. Haptic feedback lets operators, including surgeons, feel and control remote instruments. Soft robots change shape to grip and move delicate objects gently, reducing the risk of damage. We test them with partners and bring haptic innovations into wider use through our own spin-off company.</p>