The felds of programmable matter, actuated materials, and Soft Robotics are becoming increasingly more relevant for the design of novel applications, interfaces, and user experiences in the domain of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). These research felds often use soft, fexible materials with elastic actuation mechanisms to build systems that are more adaptable, compliant, and suitable for a very broad range of environments. However, at the intersection between HCI and the aforementioned domains, there are numerous challenges related to fabrication methods, development tools, resource availability, nomenclature, design for inclusion, etc. This workshop aims to explore how to make Soft Robotics more accessible to both researchers and nonresearchers alike. We will (1) investigate and identify the various difculties people face when developing HCI applications that require the transfer of knowledge from those other domains, and (2) discuss possible solutions and visions on how to overcome those difculties.
CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → User interface toolkits; • Hardware → Emerging interfaces.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.