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Hacking the senses: body transformation experiences with wearables, in t3chfest 2023

20 de March de 20233 de March de 2023 by sejo

Our talk Hacking the senses: body transformation experiences with wearables will be part of the t3chfest 2023 program on March 3rd!

The way we perceive our body, its appearance and capabilities, determines how we move, our social and environmental interactions, and our physical and emotional health. But this perception is not fixed, it is updated all the time through the sensory signals our brain receives. In our projects Magic outFit and BODYinTRANSIT we study how to hack the senses through wearable sensory technologies. With them we create Body Transformation Experiences, changing the perception of people’s bodies and also their behaviour, emotion and health.

In this talk, we will present the basis of our research including key neuroscientific concepts to understand body perception and innovative and participatory methods of research and design with users, such as design thinking and embodied methods that use the body in movement inspired by theatrical/scenic techniques. We will invite the public to try out our technological prototypes and discuss the opportunities that these technologies open up for wellness and health, smart clothing that adapts to people’s perceptions and even the design of avatars and robots.

More info in Spanish: Hackear los sentidos: experiencias de transformación del cuerpo con wearables
Friday, March 3rd, 2023
11:30 – 12:20H
Auditorio Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Video

Visual Notes

Towards Advancing Body Maps as Research Tool in Interaction Design

7 de March de 20231 de March de 2023 by sejo

Towards Advancing Body Maps as Research Tool in Interaction Design was published in the TEI ’23: Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction and presented by Laia Turmo Vidal in the Crafts and Design track of the conference.

Abstract: Body maps are a popular tool in body-centric design, facilitating a sensitization and expression of felt sensations and emotions. Yet, they also bring forth assumptions about the body and our somatic experience. Based on an open and exploratory design ideation inquiry, we have started to explore how body maps could be advanced so as to cater to a plurality of bodies and aspects that shape somatic experiences. We present an annotated portfolio featuring six design themes (temporality, sociality, representativeness, granularity, context, and focus). These themes help us examine implicit assumptions of current body maps, and offer possible alternatives for what future body maps could become. We contribute our themes, inspirational design ideas and practical design techniques to help craft novel body maps. Our contributions can serve as inspiration to others, towards advancing body maps as a research tool for body-centric interaction design.

You can watch the presentation recording below:

Exploring multisensory integration of non-naturalistic sounds on body perception in young females with eating disorders symptomatology: a study protocol

10 de March de 202327 de February de 2023 by sejo

We published Exploring multisensory integration of non-naturalistic sounds on body perception in young females with eating disorders symptomatology: a study protocol in the Journal of Eating Disorders. This is a publication by Sergio Navas-León, Luis Morales Márquez, Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín, Laura Crucianelli, Nadia Bianchi-Berthouze, Mercedes Borda-Mas & Ana Tajadura-Jiménez.

Plain English Summary

This study aims to investigate whether individuals with subthreshold eating disorder (ED) symptoms show differences in the integration of proprioceptive and auditory cues in relation to body representation, as compared to healthy controls. This will be examined by focusing on two different body parts (finger and waist) with different levels of emotional significance for individuals with EDs. Participants will be screened for ED symptoms and divided into groups accordingly. The strength of the illusions will be measured using estimations of body part position and size, as well as self-report questionnaires. Regression analysis will be used to assess the predictive role of susceptibility to the body illusions on interoceptive body awareness and sensory-processing sensitivity. The results of this study may have implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms of body image disturbances in EDs, and inform the development of clinical interventions for individuals with subthreshold EDs.

C4DM-CogSci Workshop on Body-centred perspectives on human-human and human-machine interaction

20 de February de 20238 de February de 2023 by sejo

Ana Tajadura-Jiménez presented The Hearing Body: Sound-driven Body Transformation Experiences Applications for Emotional and Physical Health in the C4DM-CogSci Workshop on Body-centred perspectives on human-human and human-machine interaction. It occurred at the Queen Mary University of London, on February 8th, 2023.

The following was the abstract of the talk:

Body perceptions are important for people’s motor, social and emotional functioning. Critically, neuroscientific research has shown that body perceptions are not fixed, but are continuously updated through sensorimotor information. In this talk, I will present work from our group on how sound and other sensory feedback on one’s body and actions can be used to alter body perception, creating Body Transformation Experiences. I will talk about how neuroscientifically grounded insights that body perceptions are continuously updated through sensorimotor information may contribute to the design of novel body-centred technologies to support people’s needs and for behaviour change. I will then present various studies from our current project, Magic OutFit, aimed to inform the design of wearable technology in which sensory-driven changes in body perception are used to enhance behavioural patterns and emotional states in the context of exertion. I will discuss how apart from the focus on real-life applications, novel technologies for body sensing and sensory feedback may also become a research tool for investigating how emotional and multisensory processes shape body perception. I will conclude by identifying new challenges and opportunities that this line of work presents, some of which we are addressing in our current ERC project BODYinTRANSIT.

Workshop: Embodied exploration and ideation of multisensory interaction with immersive data representations

20 de February de 202326 de January de 2023 by sejo

We are holding a workshop to experience first hand and to explore how we can design multisensory interactions with immersive data representations in a different and innovative way, in particular, by using embodied design methods.

In the workshop, we will experience and explore a live installation of an immersive data representation, enacted by a dance group, who will respond to the presence and action of people in the room. Through our joint experience, we will reflect and ideate new ways of bodily interacting with immersive data representations.

When is the workshop? The workshop will be held next Thursday, January 26th at 15:00 (duration ~3h)

Where? UC3M Leganés. Avenida de la Universidad 30. 28911 Leganés. Sala de ensayos del AUDITORIO

To come, please register here – the registration form is in Spanish.

Here are two flyers with practical information in English and Spanish.

flyer-live-multisensory-inmersive-installation_final_V4_eng Descarga

flyer-live-multisensory-inmersive-installation_finalSP2 Descarga

Call for Participants: Paid Study on Technology and Body Perception

20 de October de 202319 de January de 2023 by sejo

Get up to 20 euros for your participation!
Are you over 18 years old?
Would you like to help us in our research on technology and body perception?
We are looking for participants for our study on body perception where we use sound and a suit with sensors.

If you would like to participate we will ask you to answer a few questions about yourself, your physical activity and eating habits to confirm eligibility.
Those selected will be invited to participate in a session of maximum 90 minutes.
Sessions will take place starting January 19, 2023.

For more information and signing up, contact Amar D’Adamo (adadamo@inf.uc3m.es).

Spread the word!

Flyer_Estudio_Enero2023 Descarga

AcademiaNet – The Portal to Excellent Women Academics

20 de February de 202319 de January de 2023 by sejo

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) nominated Ana Tajadura-Jiménez to be featured in AcademiaNet, a database of profiles of excellent female researchers from all disciplines. In this way, Ana joins the list of more than 3600 outstanding women researchers from Europe and beyond.

From the AcademiaNet website:

Women are still seriously under-represented in leadership positions in academia. Only 26 % of professorships in Europe are held by women; in some countries, the share of women is even lower (SheFigures 2021). The figures are similarly low for key committees and commissions that decide on research awards, the appointment of professors and research funding. There is now a consensus in politics and science that the under-representation of women in academic leadership positions represents an untapped potential. However, there is a lack of tools to help decision-makers find proven female experts.

AcademiaNet is intended to be such an instrument. The database contains the profiles of women academics from all disciplines. Decision-makers can use the database to search for the best in their field. This makes it easier to fill scientific committees with female experts, to ask female speakers for a panel and to identify candidates for appointment procedures and awards. AcademiaNet is also a useful tool for journalists and conference organizers who are looking for proven female experts.

Here you can find Ana’s profile in AcademiaNet.

Congratulations!

We are recruiting! A PhD position in HCI at i_mBODY lab, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

20 de February de 202313 de January de 2023 by joaku

We are happy to announce a fully-funded PhD position in HCI at the i_mBODY lab, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, as part of the ERC Consolidator Grant Horizon2020 project BODYinTRANSIT: Sensory-driven body transformation experiences on-the-move, led by Prof. Ana Tajadura-Jiménez .

PhD in Human-Computer Interaction: Body Transformation Experiences (supervised by Ana Tajadura-Jiménez)

Duration: 36 months (+ optional 4th year; through renewable 1-year contracts).

Application deadline: 31st January 2023.

Start: March 2023.

Científicas e Innovadoras: Outstanding Women Scientists and Innovators

20 de February de 202316 de December de 2022 by sejo

Ana Tajadura-Jiménez has joined the list of Oustanding Women Scientists and Innovators (Científicas e Innovadoras), which is an initiative by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación), through its Women and Science Unit (Unidad de Mujeres y Ciencia) and in collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, FECYT).

This platform makes the work of Spanish women scientists visible as a reference in the world of research.

You can visit the website here: Científicas e Innovadoras, and Ana’s profile here: Ana Tajadura-Jiménez | Mujeres Científicas.

Congratulations!

Identity and perception of the digital and virtual self

20 de February de 20231 de December de 2022 by sejo

Identity and perception of the digital and virtual self was a panel discussion at the Madrid in Game Summit 2022. The panel was organized by Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and featured Dan Casas from that university, Chus Rodríguez from Skydance Animation, Alonso Becerril from La tecnocreativa, and our own Ana Tajadura-Jiménez.

You can find here the full program of the Madrid in Game summit.