FZ
F.Z. Zeng
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3 records found
1
On-body biodesign
exploring the human body’s role in designing with living organisms
On-body biodesign involves designing with living organisms in direct relation to human bodies and their surrounding ecosystems. Operating within this intimate and dynamic space, the practice creates opportunities by developing novel biotechnologies, cultivating new sensibilities, strengthening ecological literacy and enabling more attentive and reciprocal coexistence with other living organisms. Yet, given the emerging and cross-disciplinary nature of the field, existing work remains fragmented. How are designers currently biodesigning with, for and through human bodies, and what design opportunities could emerge for future on-body biodesign? To address these questions, we present a review of 40 artefacts spanning design, art, HCI and materials science, mapping the design space across three dimensions: the key biological phenomena that enable interactions, the unique experiences these interactions offer and the ecological configurations through which human bodies, living organisms and digital technologies interface with one another. With this work, we aim to introduce on-body biodesign as a design research programme and offer a structured overview of its current landscape. We further outline potential design pathways, inviting designers to engage with on-body biodesign as a generative space for relational thinking and regenerative practice.
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On-body biodesign involves designing with living organisms in direct relation to human bodies and their surrounding ecosystems. Operating within this intimate and dynamic space, the practice creates opportunities by developing novel biotechnologies, cultivating new sensibilities, strengthening ecological literacy and enabling more attentive and reciprocal coexistence with other living organisms. Yet, given the emerging and cross-disciplinary nature of the field, existing work remains fragmented. How are designers currently biodesigning with, for and through human bodies, and what design opportunities could emerge for future on-body biodesign? To address these questions, we present a review of 40 artefacts spanning design, art, HCI and materials science, mapping the design space across three dimensions: the key biological phenomena that enable interactions, the unique experiences these interactions offer and the ecological configurations through which human bodies, living organisms and digital technologies interface with one another. With this work, we aim to introduce on-body biodesign as a design research programme and offer a structured overview of its current landscape. We further outline potential design pathways, inviting designers to engage with on-body biodesign as a generative space for relational thinking and regenerative practice.
Living Therapeutic Skin (LTS)
Design Opportunities and Challenges of On-Skin Living Artefacts
The Living Therapeutic Skin (LTS) is a novel living material currently in development as part of a European project. Integrating engineered microbes to detect and treat eczema flare-ups, LTS offers significant promise for managing this prevalent skin condition. However, as a microbial material in its early developmental stage, LTS faces challenges related to social acceptance when it is embedded in on-skin living artefact for daily human use. To address these challenges in the further development of these materials, we conducted a workshop employing boundary objects to illustrate four hypothetical LTS applications in everyday contexts. Our participatory approach engaged a multidisciplinary group, including a dermatologist, scientists, biodesigners, and eczema patients. Analysis of the workshop data revealed several important factors affecting the wearability and acceptance of on-skin living artefacts. This paper elaborates on these factors to explore the potential implications of LTS, examining its design prospects and hurdles while discussing possible avenues for a broader range of human-skin interfaces.
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The Living Therapeutic Skin (LTS) is a novel living material currently in development as part of a European project. Integrating engineered microbes to detect and treat eczema flare-ups, LTS offers significant promise for managing this prevalent skin condition. However, as a microbial material in its early developmental stage, LTS faces challenges related to social acceptance when it is embedded in on-skin living artefact for daily human use. To address these challenges in the further development of these materials, we conducted a workshop employing boundary objects to illustrate four hypothetical LTS applications in everyday contexts. Our participatory approach engaged a multidisciplinary group, including a dermatologist, scientists, biodesigners, and eczema patients. Analysis of the workshop data revealed several important factors affecting the wearability and acceptance of on-skin living artefacts. This paper elaborates on these factors to explore the potential implications of LTS, examining its design prospects and hurdles while discussing possible avenues for a broader range of human-skin interfaces.
The X_Heal Toolkit
Navigating Temporal and Dynamic Self-Healing Processes in Living Materials
Self-healing, a remarkable ability of living organisms, is gaining attention in biodesign as a pathway toward sustainability. Applications range from fungi-based repair in packaging to bacterial healing in soft robotics. The expressive, dynamic, and temporal nature of self-healing offers rich design opportunities but also presents challenges due to emergent behaviours and environmental dependencies. Healing may unfold gradually, leave visible traces, or transform material in unpredictable ways, making it difficult to observe, describe, and communicate through existing design tools. This paper introduces a toolkit, namely the X_Heal Toolkit, that enables designers to analyse and characterise self-healing processes. Grounded in frameworks of shape-changing interfaces and Living Artefacts, the toolkit is structured around three core dimensions: Matter, Space, and Time. It includes a vocabulary, taxonomy, annotation template, and stickers for documenting and exploring sensory (form, visual, and tactile qualities) and spatiotemporal (direction and speed) characteristics. Evaluated through focus groups with biodesigners, the toolkit supported detailed observation, expressive annotation, and critical discussion of self-healing behaviours. Participants used it to both analyse existing self-healing processes and creatively reinterpret them, adjusting rhythms, speeds, or sensory qualities to express “livingness.” These insights revealed the toolkit’s generative potential for speculative, educational, and interdisciplinary design contexts. Framed within sustainable and regenerative design, this work shifts attention from healing as a technical fix toward healing as an expressive and ecological interaction, inviting reflection on temporality and care.
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Self-healing, a remarkable ability of living organisms, is gaining attention in biodesign as a pathway toward sustainability. Applications range from fungi-based repair in packaging to bacterial healing in soft robotics. The expressive, dynamic, and temporal nature of self-healing offers rich design opportunities but also presents challenges due to emergent behaviours and environmental dependencies. Healing may unfold gradually, leave visible traces, or transform material in unpredictable ways, making it difficult to observe, describe, and communicate through existing design tools. This paper introduces a toolkit, namely the X_Heal Toolkit, that enables designers to analyse and characterise self-healing processes. Grounded in frameworks of shape-changing interfaces and Living Artefacts, the toolkit is structured around three core dimensions: Matter, Space, and Time. It includes a vocabulary, taxonomy, annotation template, and stickers for documenting and exploring sensory (form, visual, and tactile qualities) and spatiotemporal (direction and speed) characteristics. Evaluated through focus groups with biodesigners, the toolkit supported detailed observation, expressive annotation, and critical discussion of self-healing behaviours. Participants used it to both analyse existing self-healing processes and creatively reinterpret them, adjusting rhythms, speeds, or sensory qualities to express “livingness.” These insights revealed the toolkit’s generative potential for speculative, educational, and interdisciplinary design contexts. Framed within sustainable and regenerative design, this work shifts attention from healing as a technical fix toward healing as an expressive and ecological interaction, inviting reflection on temporality and care.