Actuated Experience: Interactive ‘Actuated’ Interfaces that Actuate People

The Actuated Experience Lab (AxLab) at the University of Chicago asks, “How would actuated technologies actuate people? What happens when the physical world becomes as dynamic and adaptive as the digital one? And in turn, more importantly, how do these technologies actuate us—shaping how we may act, think, create, and relate to the world around us?”

In this talk, Ken Nakagaki will present a series of AxLab’s latest research projects themed around actuated tools and devices for creativity, tangible and user-agentic interaction with robotic objects mediated via AI, and redefining our relationship with modern computing by adding friction—spanning technical innovation, interaction design inquiry, and speculative prototype exploration.

Together, this body of work advances a vision of computing and robotic technologies that take alternative forms—not receding into the background, but meeting us in the physical world—moving, responding, and ultimately, actuating us.

About the Speaker:

Ken Nakagaki is an interaction designer and HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) researcher from Japan. He is an assistant professor in the computer science department at the University of Chicago, where he founded the Actuated Experience Lab (AxLab) in 2022. His research focuses on inventing and designing novel interactive technologies that actuate—physically move and transform—to seamlessly integrate dynamic digital information, computational and robotic functionality, and AI into everyday physical objects, tools, and environments for tangible, embodied experiences.

Before joining the University of Chicago, he received his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab under the supervision of Prof. Hiroshi Ishii. Nakagaki and his team have presented at top HCI conferences (e.g., ACM CHI, UIST, TEI), and he served as co-general chair of ACM TEI 2026, which took place in Chicago’s Hyde Park. He has also led demonstrations of his work at international exhibitions and museums, including the Ars Electronica Festival. He has received awards and recognition, including MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Japan & Asia Pacific, and has been recognized at the Japan Media Arts Festival and the James Dyson Award, among others, as well as receiving demo and paper awards at HCI conferences.