Following a two‑day visit by Air Giants in December, our Soft Robotics team has been hosting a follow up development workshop this week at the Cobot Maker Space, Nottingham.

We’re delighted to be joined by researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s Interaction Design Group, alongside colleagues from Air Giants, to further develop and deepen themes that emerged from earlier sessions held in both the UK and Sweden.

The workshop includes:

Testing the Caterpillar+ Chair
Participants wearing the Daisy suit will explore sensations across multiple tiers of actuation. This will also investigate how smaller, body‑proximal tactile accessories might be integrated to create more nuanced and intimate sensory experiences.

Connected Garment Trials
A study involving two participants wearing interconnected hoodies designed by the Somabotics team. These garments generate shared physical sensations triggered by intimate sensing inputs, such as breathing patterns.

Conceptual Exploration of Soma‑Based Interaction
Participants will explore themes of security and vulnerability, agency and surrender, and sensations of support, stability, force, and controlled violence. These investigations combine sensing with closed‑loop actuation to enable automated or responsive somatic interactions. We’ll also be aiming to develop a “soma label” system to help articulate novel or hard‑to‑describe experiential qualities.

Insights from this event will feed directly into academic publications, the development of new prototypes, and the creation of future products.