Touch

So much is communicated through a touch. Between 2015 and 2019, I studied emotional touch by building fuzzy robots and watching how people interacted with them.

> The CuddleBit furry robot design system

> Detecting gestures on a fabric touch sensor

> Translating voice to robot movement

> Complex narratives give rise to complex emotions

> Rethinking emotion detection in human-robot interaction


I also spent a lot of time experimenting with new ways to build and design soft robots and sensors out of silicone and other soft materials.

> Using wax and paper to quickly create cold-cast molds

> Mixing carbon black with silicone to create conductive silicone sensors