UnderWare: Aesthetic, Expressive, and Functional On-Skin Technologies | International Workshop at the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) September 12-16, 2016 Heidelberg (Germany).

IMPORTANT DATES

Submissions due: 21 June 2016
Final Acceptance notification: 28 June 2016
Camera-ready: 3 July 2016

Please send your submission to: underware@media.mit.edu

MOTIVATIONS
Emerging technologies allow for novel classes of interactive wearable devices that can be worn directly on skin, nails and hair. This one-day workshop explores, discusses and envisions the future of these on-skin technologies. The workshop addresses three important themes: aesthetic design to investigate the combination of interactive technology with personalized fashion elements and beauty products, expressive and multi-modal interactions for mobile scenarios, and technical function, including novel fabrication methods, technologies and their applications. The goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines to rethink the boundaries of technology on the body and to generate an agenda for future research and technology.

THEMES FOR SUBMISSION
This one-day workshop aims to broaden research horizons and form a research community around on- skin technologies. Potential participants include Ubicomp and HCI researchers, fashion and interaction designers, material and medical sciences researchers to form an interdisciplinary discussion. Attendees are invited to submit position papers that extend the current status of on-skin technologies. The range of contributions includes, but is not limited to:

Aesthetics: Visually Customizable On-Skin Technology and Interactive Body Art. Since on-skin devices are worn on the body, there is a desire to personalize its appearance to reflect identity and style. This includes wearables which are visually customizable to enable personal aesthetic. Traditional body art practices integrated with technology present unique aesthetics and fashion statements. Examples include decorative displays, light embellishments and interactive performances. Conceptual videos that speculate the future of these technologies are also invited.

Expression: On-skin Interaction and Sensing. The skin can become an expressive user interface. On-skin sensors appropriate the skin as an input surface, and connect to devices for always- available mobile interaction. iSkin, Hairware and NailO are examples of direct input on the body. In addition, the skin can serve as output through LEDs, visual displays, and haptic feedback. Affective states such as electrodermal activity, vital signals, and vocal quality can also be measured though the skin’s physical properties.

Function: Technical Innovation and Applications. In UbiComp and HCI, novel materials, fabrication processes, and miniaturized electronics expand the technical development of on-skin technologies.
In material science, nanotechnology, microfabrication and advanced materials enable fully integrated electronics with soft, stretchable forms, as in Epidermal Electronics. Medical applications can measure the chemical composition, optical characteristics, and mechanical properties of human skin and its appendages to develop point-of-care wearable devices and drug delivery technologies. Discussions about continuous, real-time monitoring of analytics in sweat, interstitial fluid, and tear are also welcomed.

MIT MEDIA LAB

Joe Paradiso is a professor at MIT Media Lab. He directs the Responsive Environments Group, which explores how sensor networks augment and mediate human experience, interaction and perception.

Chris Schmandt is a principal research scientist at MIT Media Lab. He directs the Living Mobile Group, which explores novel mobile and wearable interactions.

Katia Vega is a postdoc at the MIT Media Lab. She proposes Beauty Technology : a novel way to move from traditional to interactive cosmetics that transform the body into an interactive platform.

Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao is a PhD student at MIT Media Lab. Her work focues around on-skin electronics which are expressive and culturally-designed.

Rébecca Kleinberger is a PhD student at the Media Lab. She works on ways to connect people with themselves and others by playing with mental, physiological and physical perception including affective skin responses.

Xin Liu is a master student at the MIT Media Lab. She has worked on interactive clothing including Google Jacquard and hosted the Body as Interface workshop in Eyebeam this year

Jie Qi is a PhD candidate at the MIT Media Lab and creative director of Chibitronics. Her research blends electronics with nontraditional media to create expressive electronics and engage new communities in making technology.

MICROSOFT RESEARCH

Asta Roseway is a Principal Research Designer at Microsoft Research. Her work focuses around HCI, Affective Computing, and wearable technologies.

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

Ali K. Yetisen is the Tosteson postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He researches nanotechnology, photonics, wearables, and arts.

SAARLAND UNIVERSITY

Jürgen Steimle is a professor of computer science at Saarland University. His focus areas include flexible displays and sensor surfaces, on-body interaction, embedded user interfaces, and personal fabrication.

Martin Weigel is a PhD candidate at Saarland University and the Max Planck Institute for Informatics. His research focuses on novel body-worn devices and expressive on-skin interactions.