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How Electrical Signals Can Give You Superpowers

#sxsw #SuperTech

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This panel will address new types of emerging wearable technologies that control the human body or augment it with new capabilities by building upon our body's electrical properties. Such devices use electrical signals running through the body to control muscles, provide force feedback, control perception or create new sensing technologies. For example, Revel is a wearable device we developed at Disney Research. It injects a signal into the body to modify our tactile perception of the environment by providing artificial tactile sensations almost anywhere; this includes displays, walls, objects and human skin. The human body and hardware are interdependent; the technology augments the body's capabilities, while using it as a fundamental functional component. After presenting a brief history of human augmentation in art and science, I will present the state of the art of such emerging research efforts, discuss future work and applications, and their potential implications.

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Presenters

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Olivier Bau Researcher Walt Disney Imagineering Research

I am a Researcher working at Disney Research in Pittsburgh, in the Interaction Design Group. My research focuses on inventing technologies that provide us with new powerful, playful and engaging ways to interact with hour environment. My interests include augmenting the human body with new capabilities using wearable technology, creating installations and environments that engender unique and engaging experiences, and developing interfaces that will enable us to take full advantage of the power of machines.
My background is in Computer Science, Cognitive Sciences and Design. I received my PhD in Computer Science from INRIA in Paris, France. Before joining Disney, I worked at Sony Corporate Laboratories in Tokyo and Paris, as well as at the MIT MediaLab.