Pattie Maes

This paper introduces WatchThis, a novel wearable device that enables natural language interactions with real-world objects and environment…

This research explores the effects of LLM use on the brain. In one of the studies we recorded brain activity of 55 participants while …

The project aims to develop a programmable smart patch for delivering substances, that could improve cognition (e.g., caffeine, the in…

An LLM-enabled system that integrates physiological data from wearables and contextual information to offer personalized, real-time health …

The rapid advancement of Generative AI (GenAI) technologies presents new opportunities to support daily living for older adults. This proje…

Millions of learners worldwide lack access to personalized education. Generative AI offers a potential solution, but a key challenge for AI…

Conversational AI Powered by Large Language Models Amplifies False Memories in Witness InterviewsThis study examines the impact of AI on hu…

We propose a computational approach to preserve traditional dance as living cultural heritage, exploring the use of technology to capture k…

This research aims to address the timely and timeless challenge of human-computer interaction by focusing on designing and studying human-A…

​People have to remember an ever-expanding volume of information. To help with this, we developed Memoro, a wearable and audio-based person…

Fostering students' interests in learning is considered to have many positive downstream effects. Large language models have opened up new …

Say hello to FutureYou!*This project is oriented towards young people*Inspired by studies showing how increased "future self-continuity"—th…

AbstractDespite significant historical progress, discrimination and social stigma continue to impact the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The…

We're living in an aging society with cognitive loss placing stress on caregivers to monitor older adults struggling with memory decline.&n…

🥵 Reconstruction of perceived images from the brain is currently a hot topic in brain imaging space. 💸💸💸 However, previous approaches have …

AbstractAs conversational agents powered by large language models become more human-like, users are starting to view them as companions rat…

Specifically crafted sensory stimulation can influence brain function and potentially improve cognition. In this project, we developed soft…

Society is experiencing a growing challenge of mental health and wellbeing. This year, 32.3% of U.S. adults or over 100 million individuals…

Generating customized, memorable visuals and stories to support memory. Mnemonics are strategies used to remember information better (…

Fostering students’ interest in learning has many positive downstream effects. It can make students more persistent and impact student…

We present a novel video compression pipeline, called Txt2Vid, which dramatically reduces data transmission rates by compressing webcam vid…

Electrical stimulation has long been used in medicine to induce phosphenes, or visual sensations, in patients with visual impairments. Rece…

Critical thinking is an essential human skill. Despite the importance of critical thinking, research reveals that our reasoning ability suf…

This work was presented  at  the ACM CHI 2023 conference. By Joanne Leong, Florian Perteneder, Muhender Raj Rajvee, and…

SleepStim is a framework for automatically recording sleep physiology  and presenting sensory stimuli in sleep, using consumer smartph…

Sleep++ aims to improve sleep quality by stimulating the brain to enter deep sleep. Currently, insufficient and poor quality sleep represen…

Dive is a project to explore and induce lucid dreams using mobile devices.Lucid dreams are dreams in which  you are aware that you're …

CyberBiome is a programmable bio-digital organ, a wearable biosynthesis platform for personalized, on-demand production of therapeutics and…

Advances in machine learning have recently enabled the synthesis of text, images, audio and video data, in what is referred to as Generativ…

Tap To Remember is a wearable memory prosthesis.  We are testing whether laboratory techniques for enhancing memory—such as targeted m…

The KALM project consists of a multimodal dataset and a wearable system for managing anxiety.  With this set of tools we aim to make n…

We explore how AI-systems can effectively assist human reasoning processes by building and evaluating combined human+AI information process…

This extended abstract was presented at the International Conference on Computational Social Science (IC2S2) 2022.In the past few years, th…

This project was produced as part of the   2021 Snap Creative Challenge, focused on "The Future of Co-located Social AR."Wem…

Perceptual illusions have the power to change our abilities and behaviours. Prior research in virtual reality (VR) has shown that transport…

In collaboration with NTT DATAEvery human culture has developed practices and rituals associated with remembering those who have died. We a…

This research presents the results of a study with 134 participants to explore the effects of learning from an AI-generated virtual in…

Advancements in machine learning have recently enabled the hyper-realistic synthesis of prose, images, audio and video data, in what is ref…

​Situated VR: Towards a Congruent Hybrid RealityThe vision of Extended Reality (XR) systems is living in a hybrid reality or "Metaverse" wh…

This project was selected to represent MIT at the Microsoft Design Expo 2020 on ‘Healthier Futures.’ iNonymizeA tele-mental health pla…

The Brain Switch is a real-time, closed-loop brain-computer system allowing for real-time correspondence of simple user needs to a caretake…

Appropriate and adaptive treatment plans are challenging in Parkinson’s disease for several reasons.  parkinsAI models drug response a…

 dementAI is an open-source platform for modeling risk stratification of Alzheimer's dementia using spontaneous speech through a …

mood.mic is a privacy-preserving tool for monitoring bipolar disorder.  It allows users to track their moods by telling a story about …

Targeted dream incubation (TDI) is a methodology for guiding (or “incubating”) dreams towards specific themes. Please read the FAQ below to…

Regular disinfection of hands and frequently touched surfaces is a critical factor in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and diso…

Wearable Reasoner: Towards Enhanced Human Rationality through a Wearable AI AssistantWe present "Wearable Reasoner," a proof-of-concep…

We envision that a close-to-nose interface could be used as a complementary or alternative wearable method to nasal cannulas or masks,…

Living in space could have significant physical and mental impacts on astronauts. Wearables have the potential to play a critical role in m…

Serosa III is a wearable electrode patch that records gastric activity. It reduces the size of the interface and incorporates high-resoluti…

Serosa II is a hydrogel electrode waistband to measure gastrointestinal signals. We sought to create an interface can be worn for long peri…

Serosa records gastrointestinal (stomach and intestinal) signals. Serosa aims for cognitive enhancement via the mind-gut connection by aidi…

Our body and mind relate in ways which are extraordinarily enigmatic and seemingly incomprehensible. Recent findings exemplify this by show…

“Us” aims to help people develop their sense of empathy. It uses machine learning to analyze interlocutors’ signals (e.g., choice of words,…

Communication skills are critical for all. We  design and develop systems to help people with communication issues, fostering more emp…

Several research projects have recently explored the use of physiological sensors such as electroencephalography (EEG - brain activity) or …

​The lotus flower is an ancient symbol that has been associated with spiritual awakening or enlightenment.In yoga and meditation, the lotus…

Plants can sense the environment, other living entities and regenerate, actuate or grow in response. Our interaction and communication…

Lab on Body, Synthetic Biology, and Bio-Digital Systems for Health and Human Enhancement

MoveU is a wearable vestibular stimulation device for providing proprioceptive haptic feedback in virtual reality (VR).  The device in…

Living Bits : Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating Living Microorganisms in Human-Computer InteractionThere are trillions of living…

Elowan is a cybernetic lifeform, a plant in direct dialogue with a machine. Using its own internal electrical signals, the plant is interfa…

Wearable Wisdom: An Intelligent Audio-Based System for Mediating Wisdom and AdviceHaving good mentors and role models is important for pers…

Projects related to the theme of how digital systems may support attention, memory, and learning.

Several of our projects aim to support learning and creativity. While some systems focus on a specific skill to be strengthened, e.g.,…

Our research group designs various hardware and software platforms that can be used to do scientific experiments or implement a particular …

One of the functions we are interested in supporting people with is decision making. We develop systems for supporting behavior change and …

We  build technologies that interface with the sleeping mind. We track different sleep-stages using brain activity, muscle tensio…

NeverMind is an interface and application designed to support human memory. We combine the memory palace memorization method with augmented…

A wearable olfactory display that monitors cardio-respiratory information with the aspiration to support mental wellbeing.BioEssence is a w…

​There are currently  UROP openings for this project. AttentivU is a neural AI platform for wireless non-invasive sensing of pers…

Find out more about the new version of the system, "The Thinking Cap 2.0" here.Peoples' mindsets, meaning their beliefs about their own int…

Temperature influences our perception and cognition both consciously and subconsciously. These effects are rooted in our bodily experiences…

AlterEgo is a  non-invasive, wearable, peripheral neural interface that allows humans to converse in natural language with machin…

Discreet Teeth Gestures for Mobile Device InteractionByte.it is a miniaturized, discreet interface that uses teeth gestures for hands-free …

Fluxa is a compact wearable device that exploits body movements, as well as the visual effects of persistence of vision (POV), to…

Real-time collaborative self-expression in virtual reality 

The sense of smell is perhaps the most pervasive of all senses, but it is also one of the least understood and least exploited in HCI. We p…

We present an augmented handheld airbrush that allows unskilled painters to experience the art of spray painting. Inspired by similar smart…