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Hybrid Design Lab

In the Hybrid Design Lab, we merge digital design with traditional crafts within a pioneering research framework dedicated to human-computer interaction (HCI). Our distinctive approach leverages computational methods, robotics, and AI tools to lead in the creation of hybrid design and fabrication solutions. By integrating these advanced technologies with traditional creativity and natural materials, we push the boundaries of both fields. Our lab is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for digital, craft, and prototyping endeavors, committed to enhancing modern creative practices through the seamless fusion of technology and tradition.

PhD Students: Barak Pelman, Sharan Elran.

Alumni MS: Nir Dick, Rony Ginosar, Naama Glauber, Arial Bezaleli Mizrahi, Tatyana Vasilevitsk, Moran Mizrahi, Shimon Bezalel Heimowitz.

Alumni MDes: Tamara Anna Efrat, Shiran Magriso, Shlomi Mir.
Artists in Residence and Visiting Students: Michal Luria, Batt-Girl, Hannah Perner Wilson.

TEACHING

Interaction 1

This course examines how humans interact with their natural and technological environments, combining insights from anthropology, history, biology, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction. We'll explore changes in human perception, consciousness, and our relationship with technology, emphasizing the development of technological interfaces and design. The impact of digital technology on reality perception and interaction paradigms since the mid-20th century will also be analyzed.

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Syllabus

Interaction 2

This course advances from Interaction 1 by exploring creative processes and human-computer intuition in HCI, covering mediums from traditional crafts to autonomous creative agents. It includes theoretical readings and practical activities to understand art, craft, design, improvisation, and the blend of analytical and hands-on intelligence. We'll examine the balance between human and computer interaction in the AI era, focusing on creativity's processes, styles, and traits.

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Syllabus

Interaction seminar

The Interaction Seminar explores the impact of technology on our relationship with the natural and artificial world, focusing on contemporary issues like virtual addiction and technology's effect on consciousness. Through discussions, cognitive analysis, and critical inquiry, we'll examine technology's role and interaction essence. Each session, led by a different student, ensures content is current and relevant to field developments.

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Syllabus

RESEARCH PROJECTS

"Hybrids" blend computational technology's advanced capabilities with traditional craftsmanship's depth. This approach aims to bridge the gap between digital and artisanal realms, promoting an integration that combines digital tools' precision, control and efficiency with human craftsmanship's creativity and artistry. Our research illustrates how digital and artisanal techniques enrich each other, offering a new view on their integration. The projects highlighted here, conducted at the MIT Media Lab and the Hybrid Design Lab, exemplify our investigations in this innovative field.

PUBLICATIONS

​Journal papers

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  1. Zoran, A. R. (2025). Digital Gastronomy 2.0: A 15-Year Transformative Journey in Culinary-Tech Evolution and Interaction. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 101135.

  2. Pelman, B., & Zoran, A. R. (2024). The Impact of Sociomaterials on Architectural Learning Processes in Virtual and Physical Design Studios. Education Sciences 15 (2), 240.

  3. Pelman, B., & Zoran, A. R. (2023). Informal learning in architectural education through sociomaterial approaches: Towards a network-based pedagogy in design education. The Design Journal, 26(5), 776-797. Routledge.

  4. Mizrahi, A. B., & Zoran, A. (2023). Digital gastronomy testcase: A complete pipeline of robotic induced dish variations. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 31, 100625. Elsevier.

  5. Zoran, A. R. (2023). Israeli Oaks: A contemporary portal to ancient knowledge. International Oaks, 34, 99–104.

  6. Zoran, A. R. (2023). The Ubiquitous Tree: The Oak. Theory & Criticism, 57, 135-155. Van-Leer. [In Hebrew].

  7. Pelman, B., & Zoran, A. R. (2022). Material-Driven Architectural Pedagogy: A sociomaterial perspective. FormAkademisk, 15(1).

  8. Zoran, A. R., Dick, N., & Glauber, N. (2021). The Choreography of the Creative Process: Drawing in Time and Space. Leonardo, 54(6), 643-648. MIT Press.

  9. Dick, N., Prusak, A., & Zoran, A. (2020). Dynamics of Artistic Style: A Computational Analysis of the Maker’s Motoric Qualities in a Clay-Relief Practice. Nature’s Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1).

  10. Luria, M., Sheriff, O., Boo, M., Forlizzi, J., & Zoran, A. (2020). Destruction, Catharsis and Emotional Release in Human-Robot Interaction. Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction.

  11. Zoran, A. R. (2019). Cooking with Computers: The Vision of Digital Gastronomy. Proceedings of the IEEE, Issue 7 August 2019.

  12. Haroch, O., Glauber, N., Zoran, A., & Grosman, L. (2019). On Quantifying and Visualizing the Potter's Personal Style. Journal of Archaeological Science, 108, 104973.

  13. Zoran, A. R. (2018). The Ostrich Eggshell Beads Craft of the Ju/’hoansi: A reflection on modern craft theories. Craft Research, 9(2), 229–253.

  14. Shilkrot, R., Maes, P., Paradiso, J. A., & Zoran, A. (2015). Augmented Airbrush for Computer Aided Painting (CAP). ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), 34(2), Article 19.

  15. Zoran, A., Shilkrot, R., Nanyakkara, S., & Paradiso, J. A. (2014). The Hybrid Artisans: A Case Study in Smart Tools. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (ToCHI), 21(3), Article 15.

  16. Zoran, A., Shilkrot, R., Goyal, P., Maes, P., & Paradiso, J. A. (2014). The Wise Chisel: The Rise of the Smart Handheld Tool. Pervasive Computing, IEEE, 13(3), 48-57.

  17. Zoran, A., & Buechley, L. (2013). Hybrid reAssemblage: An Exploration of Craft, Digital Fabrication and Artifact Uniqueness. Leonardo, 46(1).

  18. Zoran, A., Welch, S., & Hunt, W. D. (2012). A Platform for Manipulation and Examination of the Acoustic Guitar: The Chameleon Guitar. Applied Acoustics, 73(4), 338-347.

  19. Zoran, A. (2011). The 3D Printed Flute: Digital Fabrication and Design of Musical Instruments. Journal of New Music Research (JNMR), 40(4), 379-387.

  20. Zoran, A., & Coelho, M. (2011). Cornucopia: The Concept of Digital Gastronomy. Leonardo, 44(5), 425–431.

  21. Zoran, A. S., & Paradiso, J. A. (2011). The Chameleon Guitar—Guitar with a Replaceable Resonator. Journal of New Music Research, 40(1), 59-74.

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​Conference papers

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  1. Elran, S. R. S. & Zoran, A. R. (2024). Probabilistic Craft-Materialization of generated images using digital and traditional craft. Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH '24). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  2. Elran, S. R. S., Harel, Y., & Zoran, A. R. (2023). Fine motor skills: Operating standard robotic fabrication as a generative system. Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH '23). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  3. Elran, S. R. S., & Zoran, A. R. (2022). The ghost in the machine: Digital stylization and expressive re-materialization of ancient ceramics. Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH '22). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  4. Dick, N., Glauber, N., Yehezkeli, A., Mizrahi, M., Reches, S., Ben-Yona, M., Carmi, A., & Zoran, A. (2018). Design with minimal intervention: Drawing with light and cracks. Proceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference (ACM DIS ‘18).

  5. Ginosar, R., Kloper, H., & Zoran, A. (2018). Parametric habitat: Virtual catalog of design prototypes and the problem of candidates selection. Proceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference (ACM DIS ‘18).

  6. Magrisso, S., Mizrahi, M., & Zoran, A. (2018). Digital joinery for hybrid carpentry. The 36th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Honourable Mention Award.

  7. Zoran, A., & Cohen, D. (2018). Digital konditorei programmable taste structures using a modular mold. The 36th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  8. Mizrahi, M., Golan, A., Mizrahi, A. B., Gruber, R., Lachnish, A. “Zoonder”, & Zoran, A. (2016). Digital gastronomy: Methods & recipes for hybrid cooking. The 29th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '16). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  9. Vasilevitsk, T., & Zoran, A. (2016). Steel-sense: Integrating machine elements with sensors by additive manufacturing. The 34th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '16). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  10. Efrat, T. A., Mizrahi, M., & Zoran, A. (2016). The hybrid bricolage - Bridging parametric design with craft through algorithmic modularity. The 34th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '16). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  11. Jacobs, J., & Zoran, A. (2015). Hybrid practice in the Kalahari: Design collaboration through digital tools and hunter gatherer craft. The 33rd International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '15). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  12. Peng, H., Zoran, A., & Guimbretiere, F. (2015). D-Coil: A hands-on approach to digital 3D models design. The 33rd International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '15). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  13. Zoran, A., Shilkrot, R., & Paradiso, J. A. (2013). Human-computer interaction for hybrid carving. The 26th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '13). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  14. Zoran, A. (2013). Hybrid basketry: Interweaving digital practice within contemporary craft. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 Art Gallery (SIGGRAPH '13). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  15. Zoran, A., & Paradiso, J. A. (2013). FreeD – A freehand digital sculpting tool. The 31st International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '13). ACM, New York, NY, USA. 

  16. Zoran, A., & Maes, P. (2008). Considering virtual & physical aspects in acoustic guitar design. 8th International Conference New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME ’08), 5-7 June 2008, Genova, Italy.

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Invited Papers / Book Chapters / Translated Papers / Popular Media 

 

  1. Zoran, A. R. (2024). The hybrid city: On the possibility of the forest's return to Jerusalem. Gillion, 008, 17-22. [In Hebrew].

  2. Zoran, A. R. (2023). The eternal pistachia. Alaxon - Thoughts Start Here. Retrieved from https://alaxon.co.il/article/האלה-הנצחית/ [In Hebrew].

  3. Zoran, A., Arencibia Gonzalez, E., & Mizrahi, A. B. (2021). Cooking with computers: The vision of digital gastronomy. Gastronomy and Food Science, 35-53. Academic Press.

  4. Zoran, A., & Sella, A. (2019). Digital and tropical. In U. Bartal & M. Eitan (Eds.), Thoughts on Food. [Awaiting publication, in Hebrew].

  5. Magrisso, S., & Zoran, A. (2019). Digital joinery for hybrid carpentry. In F. Bianconi & M. Filippucci (Eds.), Digital Wood Design: Innovative Techniques of Representation in Architectural Design. Springer.

  6. Zoran, A., & Buechley, L. (2018). Hybrid reAssemblage: An exploration of craft, digital fabrication and artifact uniqueness. Leonardo in Zhuangshi, the Chinese Journal of Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (March 2018). [In Chinese].

  7. Haruguchi, I. (2016). SIGGRAPH 2015 Art Gallery. DiVA, The Journal of The Society for Art and Science, 4-9. [Translation and editing based on Zoran, A. (2015). Hybrid Craft. In Japanese].

  8. Zoran, A. (2016). A manifest for digital imperfection. XRDS, 22(3), 22-27.

  9. Zoran, A. (2015). Hybrid craft: Showcase of physical and digital integration of design and craft skills. Leonardo, Journal of Arts, Sciences and Technology, MIT Press, SIGGRAPH Special Issue, 47(4).

  10. Zoran, A. (2015). Hybrid craft. In U. Bartal, R. Zahavi, & E. Erlich (Eds.), Thoughts on Craft. Resling. [In Hebrew].

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Conference Demos, Posters and Videos

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  1. Posch, I., Subasi, O., Rosner, D., Frankjaer, R., Zoran, A., & Pérez-Bustos, T. (2019). Troubling innovation: Craft and computing across boundaries. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '19). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Work in Progress & Video Showcase Presentation.

  2. Jacobs, J., Mellis, D., Zoran, A., Torres, C., Brandt, J., & Tanenbaum, J. (2016). Digital craftsmanship: HCI takes on technology as an expressive medium. In Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '16 Companion). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

  3. Zoran, A., Gong, N.-W., Shilkrot, R., Yan, S., & Maes, P. (2015). Cutting edge vision: Metal embedded optics for smart knives. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '15). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Work in Progress & Video Showcase Presentation.

  4. Ishii, H., Leithinger, D., Follmer, S., Zoran, A., Schoessler, P., & Counts, J. (2015). TRANSFORM: Embodiment of "Radical Atoms" at Milano Design Week. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '15). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Case Study.

  5. Vink, L., Kan, V., Nakagaki, K., Leithinger, D., Follmer, S., Schoessler, P., Zoran, A., & Ishii, H. (2015). TRANSFORM as adaptive and dynamic furniture. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '15). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Video Showcase Presentation, Golden Mouse award.

  6. Shilkrot, R., Maes, P., & Zoran, A. (2014). Physical rendering with a digital airbrush. In SIGGRAPH 2014 Emerging Technologies (SIGGRAPH '14). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Emerging Technologies & Studio.

  7. Gong, N.-W., Zoran, A., & Paradiso, J. A. (2013). Inkjet-printed conductive patterns for physical manipulation of audio signals. 26th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (UIST '13). ACM, St. Andrews, Scotland.

  8. Zoran, A., & Paradiso, J. A. (2012). The FreeD – A handheld digital milling device for craft and fabrication. 25th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (UIST '12). ACM, Cambridge, MA, USA. Best demo award (3rd place).

  9. Zoran, A., & Maes, P. (2008). The reAcoustic eGuitar. In SIGGRAPH 2008 posters (SIGGRAPH '08). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Article 40.

  10. Zoran, A., Coppiardi, M., Aguilera, P., & Maes, P. (2009). Physical heart in a virtual body. In Proceedings of the 27th international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems (CHI '09). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

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