Designing Shape-Changing Wearables to Connect Bodies
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Laia Turmo Vidal Starts “Connecting Bodies” Project under Supervision of Kristina Höök and Georgios Andrikopoulos
This November, Laia Turmo Vidal is joining KTH as a Digital Futures Postdoctoral Fellow, co-supervised by lab director Georgios Andrikopoulos and main supervisor Prof Kristina Höök (MID). Her two-year project, “Connecting Bodies – Designing Shape-Changing Wearables to Improve Remote Body-Based Communication” (01/11/2023 – 31/10/2025), investigates how wearable technologies that can physically transform may enable new forms of embodied, remote interaction.
The research will explore shape-changing wearables as a means to foster somatic connections between people—enabling actions, perceptions, and emotions to be felt across distance, not just observed. This vision creates natural synergies with the Robot Design Lab’s work on robot-enabled interaction, opening new ground at the intersection of robotics, haptics, and embodied design.
Laia brings expertise in interaction design and soma design, with a PhD in Human–Computer Interaction from Uppsala University and prior research on multisensory technologies for movement, rehabilitation, and artistic practices. By joining this fellowship, our lab strengthens its cross-disciplinary engagement in human-centered robotics, supporting research that combines technical innovation with embodied, experiential perspectives.