Research group for Media, Innovation and Communication Technologies

Research

Who are we? 

We are an interdisciplinary research group of imec and UGent, who consists of a highly motivated team of researchers combining human and technological expertise, with a background in communication, psychology, sociology, engineering and design.

We build bridges between technology, people and society by studying their intertwined relationships to tackle the current evolution towards a sustainable digital society. We do this by looking at shifting interfaces (from analogue to digital) and studying their interactions, impact and insights.

Building bridges between technology, people and society

1) Interactions

We design state-of-the art methods, using our research labs and prototypes for real-life testing, focusing on observation, co-creation and interaction design, to optimize your human-technology interactions.

2) Impact

We use theoretical frameworks from social sciences for evidence-based results, focusing on motivational, behavioral change and experience research, to maximize your effectiveness and adoption.

3) Insights

We evaluate and expose tension fields between data, privacy and ethics at governmental and industrial level, to advice your policy and decision makers.

What do we do?

We provide scientific insights on how people interact with technology today. And co-create future technologies for the people of tommorow.
Therefore we study people on three levels:

What people say

By asking opinions via online/offline surveys and interviews.

What people do

By observing behavior via mobile data logging and in the field monitoring.

What people feel

By measuring physiological data via a wide range of sensors (EEG, EMG, GSR, HR, Eye-tracking).

Research Projects

Below you can find our current research projects.

  • AI-CS BAROMETER - Monitoring the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cyber Security (CS) within Flemish companies
  • Icosy2.0 - fieldtest
  • BESOCIAL - towards a sustainable social media archiving strategy for Belgium
  • Cyber Dating Abuse – Towards a clear conceptualisation and examination of a heart-breaking online phenomenon
  • Daiquiri - Data & Artificial intelligence for Quantified Reporting in sports
  • Digimeter - Measuring media/technology usage and expectations in Flanders
  • DISCONNECT –Digital Wellbeing in a Culture of Ubiquitous Connectivity: Towards a Dynamic Pathway Model
  • DITUR - Digital Twins for Upscaled Retrofits
  • ExperienceDNA - User Experience Measurement in Virtual Smart Spaces
  • HIER-OS - Exploring the possibilities of conversational interfaces to fight social isolation among senior citizens
  • IN2FOOD – Resolving A Societal Challenge: Interdisciplinary Approach Towards Fostering Collaborative Innovation in Food Waste Management
  • Knowledge Center - Data & Society
  • Living in a digital age: Investigating the determinants and consequences of lacking ICT access and skills
  • Mobile DNA - Application that shows your smartphone usage
  • NewsDNA - Diversity in the News thourgh Algorithmization
  • NUDGE -  NUDging consumers towards enerGy Efficiency through behavioral science
  • OSLO - Open Standards for Linking Organizations
  • POPHARS – Drugs at the festivals: Perceptions of prevention-, harm reduction-, care-, and law enforcement strategies
  • ROLECS - Roll out of local energy communities
  • SCAFFOLD - ePortfolios to scaffold workplace learning in health education
  • SenseCity - Respond faster and more accurate to calamities
  • Social factors and risk behavior - Untangling the relationships between the online and offline world
  • Stressy - Stress in the City
  • Telenet Essential Internet - Connecting vulnerable people to the internet and measuring their ICT skills
  • The Future of Video Consumption
  • VLOCA - Flemish Open City Architecture
  • VRT Chair- Media in a Society in Transition

 

Below you can find a few of our recent finished projects.

  • EBSI - European Blockchain Service Infrastructure
  • Hello Jenny - City of People / Slim in de stad
  • Illuminate - Interactive streaming and representation for totally immersive applications
  • IoT Chef - IoT technology to create a connected cooking system
  • LBLOD - Local decisions as linked open data
  • MM+M - Fossil free neighborhoods Muide-Meulestede + Mariakerke
  • Operator Knowledge - Automated creation of digital assembly instructions by operator driven knowledge capturing
  • TBM Ivision - Game-based therapy for children with cerebral visual impairment

Publications