Research — Materials & Systems
Bio-Based Electronics
What happens to an interface's design language when the components themselves are alive?
The Question
Most interface design assumes stable, predictable components — a button either works or it doesn't. This ongoing research investigates what changes when the conductive material itself is organic: growing, decaying, and responding to its environment on its own timeline, independent of the user.
The Approach
I'm testing the conductive properties of organic materials and the behaviors of different living organisms as literal circuit components, then documenting how their variability changes what "reliable feedback" even means. Where a conventional sensor gives a clean, repeatable reading, a biological one drifts — and designing around that drift, rather than trying to eliminate it, is the core of the investigation.
Why It Matters
As more everyday objects embed sensors and feedback loops, I think the underlying question — how much unpredictability can a system have before people stop trusting it? — becomes a genuine UX problem, not just a materials one. This research is the foundation a lot of my later interaction work builds on, including Slimesynthzer and Date Clock.