Toward Installing Abilities into Users’ Nervous Systems by Yudai Tanaka

Abstract: Computers provide instant access to information through audiovisual and language-driven media. Yet they remain limited in empowering users' physical and skill-based abilities. For example, watching videos or querying an LLM cannot directly convey how the body should feel and move, nor assist users’ movements—whether for learning new skills or providing assistance in rehabilitation—so what is the bottleneck? Looking across 60 years of computer interface history, I argue that the bottleneck lies in how computers present information to users’ sensory systems. The eyes and ears are non-contact senses, whereas the skin requires physical contact to perceive. Conventional haptic technologies are therefore insufficient. Even simple hardware attached to users' fingerpads encumbers their ability to use their hands naturally, limiting broader deployment.
To build interfaces that truly empower human abilities, my research shifts focus beyond the skin to the nervous system. Rather than presenting information externally, my approach directly delivers electrical signals that neurons respond to, driving perception and action. This talk provides an overview of how this new class of interfaces enables: (1) presenting haptic information while supporting natural touch interaction (CHI 2023); (2) augmenting abilities while preserving users’ sense of agency through computational adaptation (CHI 2026); and (3) providing a path toward general-purpose embodied interfaces (CHI 2024). These works demonstrate the feasibility of orchestrating physiological and perceptual complexity to deliver computer interfaces that empower human abilities across touch, kinesthetic perception, and body coordination. I conclude by outlining how this approach opens new research directions to advance rehabilitation, accessibility, and skill training.

Bio: Yudai Tanaka is a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. His research explores computer interfaces that empower users’ abilities by interfacing directly with their nervous systems. These interfaces are envisioned as a foundation for the next generation of interactive systems, with applications ranging from rehabilitation and accessibility to skill learning. Yudai has published 14 full papers in top Human-Computer Interaction venues, including ACM CHI and UIST, receiving a Best Paper Award (CHI ’23) and two Best Paper Honorable Mentions (CHI ’24, UIST ’24). He was also recognized as a Google PhD Fellow and a Siebel Scholar. His research has been featured in IEEE Spectrum, New Scientist, and CBS.