Research

Themes of Work

Our research centres around the body and how technology can be used to improve how that body exists and interacts with the surrounding environment. We focus on haptic and aural modalities, using textiles as the physical medium for building wearable computational systems. Some of the research projects we undertake focus exclusively on textile sensing and interfaces whilst other focus solely on how auditory displays can be improved for users. A growing area of our work is looking towards how these two complementary technologies can be brought together in novel applications.

Below is an non-exhaustive list of some of the research we have undertaken.

Current EU Funded Projects

SONICOM

SONICOM is a research project that aims to revolutionise the way we interact socially within augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) environments and applications, from online meetings to VR gaming.

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STELEC

STELEC, short for Sustainable Textile ELECtronics, is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under the Pathfinder programmes in the responsible electronics topic seeking cutting-edge innovation with an end goal at TRL 2-3. The project is a multinational collaboration of research institutes, universities and companies across Europe. It aims at developing next generation textile-based electronics in applications from sensing, processing to AI, with a commitment to full lifecycle sustainability.

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Citation

BibTex format

@inproceedings{Wang:2026:10.1145/3776734.3794525,
author = {Wang, M and Li, Y and Nissen, B and Stewart, R},
doi = {10.1145/3776734.3794525},
pages = {902--906},
title = {MenstaRay: A Knitted Soft Wearable Robotic Interface for Somatosensory Communication of Menstrual Experience},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3776734.3794525},
year = {2026}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - MenstaRay is a soft knit robotic interface designed to explore how tactile actuation can support somatosensory communication of menstrual experiences. The prototype was created using a fabrication method for knit-integrated soft wearable robotics with two core structural elements: (1) an extensible EcoFlex 00-10 silicone cavity containing internal air chambers and (2) a strain-limiting textile layer knitted with Spandex Super Stretch Yarn (81% nylon, 19% elastane). This configuration enables regulated inflation patterns that preserve the softness of textiles while providing targeted haptic feedback that is suitable for intimate, safe, and therapeutically appropriate interactions. Through a series of workshops, we investigated and evaluated how these dynamic tactile behaviours shaped participants’ embodied reflections on menstrual sensations. This work contributes to human robotic interaction by introducing MenstaRay, a novel artifact coupled with textile-integrated actuation that can externalize intimate bodily sensations and foster new modes of communicating, reflecting on and representing menstrual experiences through wearable interfaces.
AU  - Wang,M
AU  - Li,Y
AU  - Nissen,B
AU  - Stewart,R
DO  - 10.1145/3776734.3794525
EP  - 906
PY  - 2026///
SP  - 902
TI  - MenstaRay: A Knitted Soft Wearable Robotic Interface for Somatosensory Communication of Menstrual Experience
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3776734.3794525
ER  -
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