POSTED: 05 Aug, 2025

PhD researcher, James Dwyer presented a seminar titled ‘The Art of Mechamimicry: Designing Prototyping Tools for Human-Robot Interaction’ for the QUT Centre for Robotics today.

Supervised by Jared Donovan, Markus Rittenbruch, Dr Valeria Macalupú and Rafael Gomez FDIA, James’s work explores how embodied, low-fidelity prototyping can make abstract HRI concepts tangible and accessible. Through a case study in Robotic Assisted Surgery, he demonstrates how combining physical role-play with virtual simulation helps stakeholders externalise tacit knowledge and co-design better robotic systems.

With a background in Industrial Design and Psychology, James brings a unique perspective to collaborative robotics in both surgical and manufacturing contexts.

Read more about his project, based at QUT (Queensland University of Technology), here: https://lnkd.in/gZXCsyb9