This strand of MODE activity focus on the role of embodiment in digital interaction and cognition, with a particular focus on the use of mobile technologies and ubiquitous (including sensory and tangible) computing. The Node will develop multimodal methods to capture how these digital technologies afford new opportunities for interaction to be grounded in physical activity, socially mediated through new forms of communication and collaboration and mediated through new tools. It will develop multimodal methods to examine how digital multimodal interfaces support a sense of presence and immersion and complex interactions that create a perception of embodiment in virtual environments and new conceptions of touch and sensory interaction.  

Indicative topics: multimodal methods for: researching the value and uses of mobile and ubiquitous technologies for embodiment; understanding the body and embodiment in online environments; researching digital experiences of touch and digital extending of the body; sensory research; examining movement instantiated in digital environments; researching collaboration through multimodal digital engagement; and researching embodied features of digital multimodal texts.

Indicative research questions: What methodological approaches are effective for examining the relationship between physical experience (the physical body and action), digital tools and the environment, and their combined role on meaning making? How do different digital technologies change the nature of embodiment and what are the implications for methodological approaches? What are effective methods for examining real-time cognition ‘in action’ in multimodal digital environments?

Click here for an overview of research and training activity in this strand.

For the regular updates around the embodiment theme see the Embodiment Blog