IDRG Research takes place across 5 broad themes.
The Digital Health lab explores the role technology can play in supporting people’s health and wellbeing. Part of our focus is on digital self-moinotring technologies, which are increasingly supporting a variety of health issues, and is becoming a tool in the hands of doctors and patients alike. In our research we work with different groups of users, older people, people with chronic conditions such as Diabetics, and people with a variety of neurological conditions, people recovering at home, and people in hospital. A central concern is the usability of such systems, particularly when they are placed in the hands of non-expert users, and how to design technologies such that people are enabled to take control of their own health and life.
You can find out more about on the Digital Health Lab website.
The Animal Computer Interaction Lab seeks to advance the art and science of designing animal-centred interactive systems fit for a participatory multi species society. The fundamental aims for this research program are: Understanding the interaction between animals and computing technology within the contexts in which animals habitually live; Informing the development of interactive technology to improve animals’ life quality or expectancy by facilitating the fulfilment of their physiological and psychological needs; Developing user-centred approaches, including theories and methods, to inform the design of technology intended for animals, regarding animal users as legitimate stakeholders and design contributors throughout all the phases of the design process and beyond.
You can find out more about on the Animal-Computer Interaction Lab website.
The Music Computing Lab is world-class research centre in Music Computing and Music Interaction Design. Since 2010, the Lab has published over 190 refereed publications in many of the most prestigious journals and conferences for Music Computing and Interaction Design.
Members of the Lab have led international conferences and workshops on Music Computing and Music Interaction Design, and serve on numerous international program committees, such as Sound and Music Computing (SMC); Language, Music and Computing; and the Computer Simulation of Musical Creativity.
You can find out more about on the Music Computing Lab website.
This area of our research investigates the design of interactive technologies for people as part of communities with an emphasis on the social dimension of these settings. An important theme is how technologies can be designed to empower people in these various settings, enabling them to take control of their own lives, achieve their own objectives, combat loneliness, or successfully manage their home energy generation.
We design, evaluate and investigate the novel interactive interfaces of the future, and work out how these new interfaces can be put to use in a variety of human practices. This is about pushing the boundaries through re-envisioning the use of current technologies, from touch-based interaction with graspable interfaces to haptics, and the possibilities of virtual and augmented realities – all of which provide new perspectives on human capabilities.