Digital Humanities Marathon: Digital Bodies

Bodies: Augmented, Virtual and Implanted

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Professor Frank Vetere, The University of Melbourne

Our relationship to our body is in constant flux. This flux occurs throughout life’s trajectory but is most apparent as we grow older and our bodies age. However emerging technologies are creating new opportunities for us to relate to our bodies in very different ways. Virtual reality allows us to occupy an avatar’s body; Augmented reality allows us to create surreal bodily overlays; Implantable (or insertable) technologies give our bodies the ability to sense otherwise undetectable electromagnetic fields. What are the impacts of these technologies? What new forms of interactions are possible? In what way do altered perception of our body and the body of others matter in those interactions? This talk will discuss data from a selection of research projects from the SocialNUI research centre that explore the intersection of human bodies and technology. The talk will give details of technologies developed by SocialNUI researchers and present findings from user studies that investigate new technologically-mediated ways of relating to the human body.

Frank Vetere is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. He leads the Interaction Design Laboratory and is director of the research centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI), a collaborative initiative with Microsoft Research. His research interests are in design thinking, technologies for ageing-well and mixed realities interactions. His research aims to generate knowledge about the innovative use and design of information and communication technologies (ICT) for human wellbeing and social benefit.