Human-Computer Interaction & Virtual Environments

Are You Ready for Sentient Disney Robots?

New York Times: I was en route to meet Groot. Not an imitation Groot conjured with video or those clunky virtual reality goggles. The Walt Disney Company’s secretive research and development division, Imagineering, had promised a walking, talking, emoting Groot, as if…

A Soft, Wearable Brain–Machine Interface

IEEE Spectrum: Even though brain–machine or brain–computer interfaces (BMI/BCI) have come a long way since Hans Berger discovered the presence of electrical activity in the human brain in 1924, seamless communication between our brains and machines remains a holy grail of…

Meet ISAAC, Integrating Robots with the Space Stations of the Future

NASA: In April 2021, Bumble, one of the free-flying Astrobee robots aboard the International Space Station, was put to the test to investigate a simulated anomaly. In the simulation, the station’s life support systems detected a high concentration of carbon…

Exclusive Q&A: Neuralink’s Quest to Beat the Speed of Type

IEEE Spectrum: Elon Musk’s brain tech company, Neuralink, is subject to rampant speculation and misunderstanding. Just start a Google search with the phrase “can Neuralink…” and you’ll see the questions that are commonly asked, which include “can Neuralink cure depression?” and…