Space travel and becoming an interplanetary species have always been part of humanity’s greatest imaginings. Research in space exploration helps us advance our knowledge in the fundamental sciences, and challenges us to design new technologies and to create new industries for space, all while prompting us to answer the most fundamental questions about our place in the Universe. However, keeping a human healthy, happy and productive in space is one of the most challenging aspects of current space programs. Our biological body, which evolved in the Earth’s specific environment, is not designed to survive by itself in extreme conditions such as high radiation or low gravity (among other threats). Therefore, researchers have been developing different types of human-computer interfacing systems (HCI), which support a human body’s physical and mental performance in space. 

These Space HCI projects range from exoskeletons for supporting humans in low-gravity, to virtual and augmented reality systems for interplanetary exploration, and even zero-gravity musical interfaces for entertainment during the space mission. With advancements in aerospace engineering and the democratized access to space through aerospace tech companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, space research is becoming more plausible and accessible. The dropping costs of space launches and cubesats enables new interdisciplinary research in art, design, science, and engineering in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond. What was once an exclusive, expensive, and narrowly serious pursuit is now evolving to include a vast array of possibilities. Thus, there is now an exciting opportunity for researchers in HCI to contribute to the great endeavor of space exploration by designing new types of interactive systems and computer interfaces which can support human living in space and beyond.

Suggested topics / areas:

• On-body/Wearable Technology for Space Health
• Human-Robot Interaction for Deep Space Mission
• Interfaces for Human Expression in Space
• Trust within Autonomous and Intelligent Systems
• Cognitive load and Human Performance Issues
• Computer-supported Cooperative Work
• Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality
• Smart Vehicle and Habitat
• Digital Fabrication for Space Mission

Call for Participation

We invite researchers from both academia and industry to submit a short position paper in the theme discussed above. We will evaluate submissions on fit, ability to stimulate discussion, and contribution to the future of HCI. Our website includes examples of past work in this area to help inspire and inform position papers. Papers should be maximum of 4 pages, and should be submitted in the CHI format. The submission deadline is March 10, 2021.

At least one author of each accepted position paper must attend the workshop and all participants must register for at least one day of the conference. We will host accepted papers on the workshop website for participants and others to review. Submission can be accessed through our website: https://spacechi.media.mit.edu/

Organizers

• Pat Pataranutaporn, MIT Media Lab
• Valentina Sumini, MIT Media Lab
• Melodie Yashar, San Jose State Research Foundation, NASA Ames
• Susanna Testa, Politecnico di Milano
• Marianna Obrist, University College London
• Scott Davidoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
• Amber M. Paul, Space Biosciences Research Branch, NASA Space Biology
• Dorit Donoviel, Translational Research Institute for Space Health
• Jimmy Wu, Translational Research Institute for Space Health
• Sands Fish, MIT Media Lab
• Ariel Ekblaw, MIT Media Lab
• Martin Eric William Nisser, MIT CSAIL
• Albrecht Schmidt, LMU Munich
• Joseph Paradiso, MIT Media Lab
• Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab