Cultivating Innovation at MIT

Professor Behnaz Farahi is giving a talk at TEDxMIT on April 17, 2025 from 5–9pm ET. Former Conformable Decoders undergraduate researcher Lara Ozkan will also be speaking during this year's event.

Behnaz Farahi explores how design and technology can do more than just solve problems—they can ask deeper questions and open up new possibilities. What if public buildings could share our dreams and fears? What if our clothing could feel our emotions? She’ll talk about the work happening in the Critical Matter group here at the MIT Media Lab, where the team works across scales—from wearable tech to public art—using design to spark imagination, provoke conversation, and amplify unheard voices.