Following the success of January’s co‑design workshop, the Somabotics Garden team are running a second session on the 4^th of March at Lakeside Arts Centre.  The workshop aims to gather data on the use of textile-mediated soft robotic prototypes, named the ‘Wrap Chair’, and the ‘Interactive Cushion’. Caregivers and their babies – aged 0-12 months – are being invited to join the workshop to experience both prototypes and offer feedback to support refining the designs. The prototypes will feature in ‘The Garden’ (a journey from the soil, up to the clouds and back, created by partners Makers of Imaginary Worlds), during an exhibition as part of the Playground Festival 26 taking place at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge from Saturday 25^th April through to Sunday 5^th July.

The upcoming workshop will collect data from participants on how the prototypes support a calming, felt experience and meaningful interactions between caregivers and their babies. The team will explore:

• Tactile and body proximity experience – through fit, feel and body positioning
• Pneumatic settings for the soft robotics and perceived safety – using the Soma Design Tool Kit
• The design suitability of both prototypes

Researchers will also consider key questions to guide the design and the public deployment of the prototypes:

• What are the challenges and opportunities of integrating soft robotics into caregiver and baby interaction artefacts?
• How can soft robotic devices be safe to use in an unsupervised, public environment?
• What methods can be used to understand and evaluate the experiences of both caregiver and baby?
• What is the caregiver’s perceived comfort and experience of their baby?

The workshop will also help the Somabotics Garden team assess the most suitable data‑collection methods and refine a set of focused research questions that will be introduced during the installation’s public showing