Recap of the Greater Bay Area HCI Summer School by SUSTech School of Design

June 30 – July 5, 2025, the School of Design at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), in collaboration with the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, co-hosted the Greater Bay Area Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Summer School. The event was also part of the series of activities organized by the ACM SIGCHI Greater Bay Area Chapter.

This summer school focused on “Speculative Design Beyond Human-Centered Social Robots”, aiming to explore the prospects of non-humanoid social robots in broader future ecosystems and their impact on human society. The event attracted 19 undergraduate and graduate students from 6 universities both domestically and internationally. Participants delved into theories and frameworks of speculative design and beyond human-centered design, conducted field visits to local enterprises and natural landscapes in Shenzhen, and transformed their knowledge, observations, and reflections into concrete design concepts. Using modular tools and open-source hardware, they brought these concepts to life as interactive prototype installations.

 

Opening Ceremony

Thomas Kvan, Dean of the SUSTech School of Design, delivered an opening address.

Professor Shengdong Zhao from City University of Hong Kong, Chair of the ACM SIGCHI Greater Bay Area Chapter, gave a welcome speech.

 

Program Review

In the lecture sessions, Aadjan van der Helm, Senior Lecturer from Delft University of Technology, provided an in-depth explanation of the theoretical framework of “Speculative Design” and discussed how to expand design thinking from pure human-centricism to broader ecosystems. He emphasized that design should not only serve humans but also focus on harmonious coexistence between humans, nature, and technology.
Alessandro Ianniello, Postdoctoral Researcher from Delft University of Technology, further elaborated on the concept of “Beyond Human-Centered Design”.

 

 

Delft University of Technology professors Aadjan van der Helm and Alessandro Ianniello during their lecture.

 

During the practical design workshop, Martin Havranek, Lecturer from Delft University of Technology, systematically introduced the hardware and software toolkit used in the workshop and guided students in transforming design concepts into interactive prototypes.

Delft University of Technology Lecturer Martin Havranek Instructing Students in Interactive Prototype Development

 

Throughout the summer school, participants also visited:

• Shenzhen Institute of Robotics and Innovation

• Seeed Studio

• UBTECH Robotics

• Shenzhen Mangrove Ecological Park

• Huaqiangbei Commercial Street

These field trips provided deep insights into Shenzhen's strengths and developments in tech entrepreneurship and intelligent manufacturing, while also inspiring students to rethink the role of technology in the future of human society from an ecological design perspective.

Summer School faculty and students visiting the Shenzhen Institute of Robotics and Innovation

Summer School faculty and students visiting Seeed Studio (Shenzhen)

Summer School faculty and students visiting UBTECH Robotics

Summer School faculty and students visiting the Mangrove Ecological Park

Summer School faculty and students visiting Huaqiangbei

Summer School practical design workshop

 

Outcomes Exhibition

On the afternoon of July 5, 2025, the outcomes exhibition of the Greater Bay Area HCI Summer School was successfully held at the School of Design, SUSTech. The event attracted experts, scholars, and students from various fields to interact with the projects. In their opening remarks, Aadjan van der Helm and Assistant Professor Li Xueliang summarized the course content and spoke highly of the students’ works.

Aadjan van der Helm from Delft University of Technology and Assistant Professor Li Xueliang from SUSTech delivering opening remarks.

Audience interacting with robots

Group photo at the Summer School Outcomes Exhibition

 

Project Introductions

FantaSkipper 
By: Khaliun Ganbat, Wang Yi, Ling Xinyi, Yu Houjie
Design Description: FantaSkipper is a mudskipper-inspired robot designed to help humans reconnect with their bodies and nature through physical interaction. It moves mechanically but responds to touch with gentle motions and sounds, as if aware of human presence. This contrast encourages reflection on how physical contact can alter relationships. Powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller and programmed in CircuitPython, it uses touch sensors to detect contact, activating fluid movements and sounds to explore the nature of connection, attention, and interaction.

 

Spoonbot / Black-faced Spoonbot Robot
By: Wang Mo, Wu Sitong
Design Description: Spoonbot is a social robot inspired by the endangered black-faced spoonbill. It aims to help people reconnect with the physical world and learn to coexist gently with other forms of life. Rather than pursuing efficiency, it guides users to rebuild relationships based on touch, time, and trust through slow, patient, and sensitive interactions. Shy during the day and sensitive at night, Spoonbot invites interaction through soft fluttering and calls, conveying the core message that “connection takes time, gentleness is strength, and coexistence requires respect for all life.” Its design blends mechanical and organic elements, symbolizing the symbiosis of technology and nature.

 

Wings Beyond Dimensions 
By: Liang Jiayu, Meng Xianqi, Jiang Huanshu
Design Description: Wings Beyond Dimensions is a butterfly-inspired robot that simulates an insect’s perception, movement, and communication. It vibrates its wings at a gentle rhythm when alone, but when its antennae are touched, the vibrations quicken and built-in LED lights activate, as if engaging in dialogue with humans. This dynamic interaction not only demonstrates the simulation of natural life through technology but also invites reflection on natural perception and communication. Through subtle interaction, it emphasizes the harmony between technology and nature.

 

Silver Ant / Silver Ant
By: Wu Luoyi, Wu Jiajun, Chen Yutai
Design Description: Silver Ant is a robot that explores the relationship between touch and human interaction. By simulating the delicate balance of touch, it reminds people to be mindful of the timing and distance of physical contact. Touch during the day is a brisk greeting—brief and clear—while at night it may disrupt tranquility and cause discomfort. Through this contrast, the robot delves into the complexity of touch in human interactions and how subtle physical contact can reestablish connection and awareness.

 

Byebye Kitty / Byebye Kitty
By: Zhang Boyu, Zhang Shusen, Li Ximeng
Design Description: Byebye Kitty is a cat-shaped robot with a single soft tentacle that mimics the movements of a cat’s ears, tail, and paws. It responds to subtle changes in its environment but does not alter its behavior based on human proximity or gaze. Originally designed as an “ideal pet” for humans, it has now survived alone on Earth for centuries. Through simple motions and sensitive environmental responses, it encourages people to focus on the presence of nature and their bodies rather than mere interaction or emotional simulation.

 

Fiddler Crab Robot / Fiddler Crab Robot
By: Wang Chujun, Jin Dongli, Zhao Zhao
Design Description: The Fiddler Crab Robot is inspired by the fiddler crab and aims to guide humans to rediscover the rhythm of the physical world through natural cadence. Stationed silently on a tidal reef, it holds its mechanical claw aloft, inviting interaction. Active during the day and gentle at night, it synchronizes with the natural diurnal rhythm.微型 motors, light sensors, and intelligent algorithms inside the robot translate environmental data into elegant mechanical movements. Its semi-transparent shell reveals the intricate mechanical structure within, showcasing the harmonious coexistence of technology and nature.

 

 

Conclusion

Although the Greater Bay Area HCI Summer School has concluded, the reflections and discussions it sparked continue. As technology advances, the relationship between robots (technology) and humans has long transcended the binary framework of “service provider and recipient.” Future design innovations should shift the focus from “humans” themselves to the complex environments they inhabit: How will technology reshape human society? How can it coexist with ecology? This discussion has only just begun.