Regenerative thinking is gaining momentum in HCI, shifting the focus from merely mitigating environmental harm to actively fostering cohabitation within more-than-human ecosystems. This shift challenges HCI researchers to develop new methodologies that engage with both material and cultural regeneration—harnessing the regenerative capacities of ecologies while preserving valuable knowledge systems. It also underscores the need for a fundamental onto-epistemological shift beyond anthropocentric notions of sustainability. To support HCI researchers in adopting regenerative approaches while addressing these challenges, this panel brings together a diverse group of design researchers working hands-on with materials ranging from biological to algorithmic. Through concrete examples and actionable insights, the panelists provide practical guidance on engaging with regenerative material ecologies. By interweaving multiple perspectives through a diffractive approach, the panel also explores the opportunities this emerging perspective offers for HCI, particularly at the intersection of sustainability, posthumanism, and decoloniality.

Biological Human-Computer Interaction (Bio-HCI) investigates the dynamic relationship between humans, computers, and biological systems. There has been a growing interest in integrating biological components into wearable human-computer interactions to expand their functional capabilities, material options, and design processes. Researchers have explored novel systems such as biofluid sensing for personal health, sustainable fabrication practices using biomaterials for creating wearables, and integrating living matter into wearable forms. However, as a rapidly growing, multidisciplinary field, Wearable Bio-HCI faces unique challenges and opportunities that demand collective efforts from a diverse group of researchers and practitioners. In this special interest group, we aim to gather researchers who are in this field or interested in integrating Bio-HCI approaches for creating novel interactive wearables. Our goal is to identify, brainstorm, and discuss challenges and opportunities that are unique to wearable Bio-HCI explorations. We aim to generate ideas on community engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration for future research.

As knowledge around bio-digital interaction continues to unfold, there are new opportunities for HCI researchers to integrate biology as a design and computational material. Our motivation for the workshop is to bring together interdisciplinary researchers with interest in exploring the next generation of biological HCI and exploring novel bio-digital interfaces implicating diverse contexts, scales, and stakeholders. The workshop aims to provide a space for interactive discussions, presentations, and brainstorming regarding opportunities and approaches for HCI around bio-digital interfaces. We invite researchers from both academia and industry to submit a short position paper in the following areas: Synthetic Biology, Biological Circuits, Do-It-Yourself Biology (DIYBio), Biomimetic Interfaces, Living Interfaces, Living Artefacts, and Bio-ethics. We will evaluate submissions on fit, ability to stimulate discussion, and contribution to HCI. On our website we have included examples of past work in this area to help inspire and inform position papers. Our website will host a recording of the entire workshop session with accepted papers to support asynchronous viewing for participants who are unable to attend in-person or synchronously.