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Interaction with the Physical World

Advances in low- and no-power sensing, communication and interaction technologies offer new possibilities for blending digital innovation with our physical environment. 

From gesture recognition that allows people to interact with objects in new ways, to low-power sensors that collect and transmit data about temperature, air quality, urban accessibility and more, our researchers are tapping into the potential of computation to transform how we experience the world around us.


Research Groups & Labs

Closeup of a person's finger illuminated in red by smartphone camera

UbiComp Lab

The Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) Lab develops innovative systems for health sensing, low-power sensing, energy sensing, activity recognition and novel user interface technology for real-world applications.

Professor Dieter Fox and a student demonstrate a remote operated robotic arm attempting to pick up a block

Robotics and State Estimation Lab

We are interested in the development of computing systems that interact with the physical world in an intelligent way. To investigate such systems, we focus on problems in robotics and activity recognition.


Faculty Members

Faculty


Centers & Initiatives

TCAT harnesses the power of open-source technology to develop, translate, and deploy accessible technologies, and then sustain them in the hands of communities. Housed by the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science & Engineering, TCAT centers the experience of people with disabilities as a lens for improving design & engineering, through participatory design practices, tooling and capacity building.

Society + Technology is a cross-campus, cross-disciplinary initiative and community at the University of Washington that is dedicated to research, teaching and learning focused on the social, societal and justice dimensions of technology.

Highlights


Allen School News

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recognized Kemelmacher-Shlizerman for her “contributions to face, body, and clothing modeling from large image collections,” including pioneering virtual try-on tools and bringing the technology to the mainstream.

Allen School News

The team co-led by professor emeritus Richard Ladner examined how people with visual and motor disabilities select, adapt and use mobile devices in their everyday lives. Since its publication in 2009, the findings have helped guide new innovations in mobile device accessibility.

WIRED

Professor Shyam Gollakota spoke to WIRED about his work with UW spinout Hearvana leveraging AI to enable people to go beyond noise canceling to customize their soundscape — including selectively amplifying sounds or voices they want to hear while minimizing ones they don’t.