GEISTHuman-Centered Information Systems · TU Clausthal

Research

We design, build, and study technologies that extend the human senses through wearable computing, extended reality, biosensing, and cognitive augmentation. We want to use technology to better understand, play with and augment human capacities.

All topicsSmart eyewear and eye tracking · 2Wearable sensing · 2Reading and cognition · 2Extended reality · 2Affective computing · 5Embodiment · 1Human-robot interaction · 2Soft floating robots · 2Health and care · 1Topic pages

Six areas

Research areas

Also on hcilab.io

  1. Wearable Computing

    Embedding intelligence into everyday objects worn on the body: glasses, e-textiles, on-skin electronics.

    Wearable sensingSmart eyewear and eye tracking

  2. Extended Reality

    Designing XR/VR/AR systems that enhance perception, enable new social interactions, and recreate experiences.

    Extended reality

  3. Biosensing & Physiology

    Capturing and interpreting physiological signals (EMG, EEG, heart rate, eye-tracking) for human-centered feedback.

    Wearable sensingAffective computing

  4. Cognitive Augmentation

    AI and sensor-driven systems that support attention, memory, learning, and mental well-being.

    Reading and cognitionHuman augmentation

  5. Inclusive Technology

    Designing with and for people of all abilities: assistive technologies, accessible making, older adults.

    Inclusive technology

  6. Human–Robot Interaction

    Soft robotic companions and floating drones that create affective, physical, and expressive interactions.

    Human-robot interactionSoft floating robots

Active

Research lines and current work

  • J!NS MEME academic prototype with sensor wiring on a glass table

    ActiveKeio · TU Clausthal

    Augmented Perception

    Smart glasses and wearables as a sensing and actuation platform that sits directly at the human senses.

    GEIST lab

  • Overview figure of cognitive activity recognition with eyewear computing

    ActiveKeio · TU Clausthal

    Cognitive Augmentation

    Wearable sensing that captures reading, attention and gaze synchrony, applied to cognitive health and dementia prevention.

    Kai Kunze

  • Dancers on stage during the Boiling Mind performance

    ActiveKeio · TU Clausthal

    Digitalized Emotion

    Making emotional states measurable, transferable and shareable, from audience physiology at live performances to digital empathy.

    GEIST / Embodied Media

  • Floating Companion paper teaser: soft floating robots in indoor spaces

    ActiveKeio · TU Clausthal

    Floating Companion

    A design space for soft, helium-filled floating robots in indoor environments; Best Paper Award at DIS 2026.

    Xu et al., Floating Companion, DIS '26 (ACM)

  • Chart of NASA-TLX use in CHI papers from 2006 to 2024

    ActiveTU Clausthal

    NASA-TLX in CHI

    What 19 years of workload reporting at CHI taught us, six implementation guidelines and two open-source tools (ACM TOCHI 2026).

    Lee et al., NASA-TLX in CHI, ACM TOCHI 2026

  • A Placebo Concert paper figure: VR piano concert with abstract visuals

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    A Placebo Concert

    Telling people that abstract visuals represent audience physiology changes a VR concert more than whether the data is real (CHI '25).

    Meng et al., A Placebo Concert, CHI '25 (ACM)

  • Abstraction Beats Realism paper figure: abstract visualisation of audience arousal in a VR concert

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Abstraction Beats Realism

    Abstract visualisations of audience arousal synchronise VR concert visitors with the original live audience better than 360-degree video (AHs 2026).

    Meng et al., Abstraction Beats Realism, AHs 2026 (ACM)

  • Cuddle-Fish, a helium-filled soft robot with flapping wings (paper figure)

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Cuddle Fish

    A soft floating robot with flapping wings that people can safely touch, pat and hug (AHs '25).

    Xu et al., Cuddle-Fish, AHs '25 (ACM)

  • Scene from the posthuman performance studied in the paper

    ActiveKeio · GEIST

    Embodied Responses to Posthuman Performance

    Audience bodies synchronise with a human-machine hybrid performer even when their minds are confused (AHs 2026).

    © 2024 Hiroyasu Daido, used with permission

Archive · Keio

GEIST projects and earlier write-ups

All 6 archived projects

Archived projects keep their pages and publications; new work continues at TU Clausthal.