On-Skin Interfaces and Body-Based Interaction

In the past few decades computing has evolved from large room-scale computers where operators had to manually load the programs, to more portable and wearable devices that we have today. Continuing with this trend, in the near future, we will be transitioning towards interaction that is going to seamlessly merge with our body and utilize our intricate perceptual, mental, motor, and proprioceptive capabilities. Human skin is a promising interface and in addition to proprioceptive capabilities, it allows for always-available, eyes-free interaction. Additionally, it also enables us to feel various rich tactile sensations and can also act as a biological interface for capturing biosignals. Leveraging all these properties, on-skin interaction, wearable devices, e-textiles and epidermal devices are becoming a hot trend in the field of computer science and HCI.
This Research Topic focuses on the physical, cognitive, and perceptual augmentation of humans through digital technologies. The goal is to advance the research area of on-skin interfaces and body-based interaction techniques.
Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

WEARABLE SYSTEMS, NOVEL DEVICES AND FORM FACTORS
- Smartphone- and smartwatch-based systems and applications
- Glasses
- On-skin interfaces
- Insertables and implantables

INTERACTIVE TEXTILES AND CLOTHING
- E-textiles, advanced textiles, and clothing-based wearables
- Functional clothing and novel fabrication techniques for e-textiles
- Novel materials for textiles and clothing
- Exoskeletons and human augmentation

HUMAN/DEVICE INTERACTION
- Human factors and HCI of wearables, wearability, interaction design
- Anthropometrics and fit
- Social interactions and impacts
- Social perception and acceptance towards wearable devices
- Human augmentation and portable environments
- Human-robot interaction
- Human/environmental/economic impacts, long-term effects, and future of wearable technologies, ethics and privacy
- Empirical Studies to measure on-body interaction

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
- Displays, mobile augmented reality optics (freeform optics, lightguides, holographic and diffractive approaches)
- Haptics and actuators
- Novel sensor technologies enabling and enhancing context-aware sensing, physiological sensing and input sensing techniques
- Wearable sensor networks
- Wearable technology toolkits
- Power sources and management, thermal management for wearables
- Novel Fabrication techniques for creating interactive devices

APPLICATION AREAS
-Wearable computing and ubiquitous computing for augmenting human capabilities
- Digital technologies for physical, cognitive, mental, and perceptional augmentation
- Augmented, virtual and mixed reality
- Augmented sport activities
- Research on behaviour, psychology, and cognition
- Extreme environments, including: outer space, underwater environments
- Education and training
- Art and Fashion
- Health, Wellness, Therapy and Rehabilitation

Keywords: Wearables, Epidermal interface, On-body interaction, Haptic Devices and Perception, Input devices, Sensing Fabrication

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.