Mads Høbye

Mads Høbye serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of People and Technology at Roskilde University, Denmark, where he investigates the intersection of digital technology and human experience through computational logic, sensors, and artistic expression. He co-founded illutron collaborative, an interactive art collective operating from a Copenhagen Harbor barge that provides non-commercial space for artists working with technology and biology.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Interaction Design from Malmö University (2014), focusing on "Designing for Homo Explorens: open social play in performative frames"

Høbye's research centers on digital materiality as a hybrid of physical and digital technologies, with three core strands: (1) exploring the experiential and aesthetic potential of dynamic material technologies, (2) developing frameworks for creative computational technology use, and (3) enabling democratic technology ownership through open knowledge-sharing and digital fabrication labs. His work manifests in interactive installations that examine interpersonal dynamics within technological contexts.

Key research areas include:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Interactive Art and Performance
• Digital Fabrication and Maker Culture
• Open Source Hardware Development
• Embodied Interaction Design

Recent publications (2020-2025) reveal consistent focus on integrating maker culture into educational settings, analyzing bodily play in interactive systems, and deploying interactive artifacts in performance environments. His work demonstrates how digital fabrication democratizes technology access while emphasizing reflexive assessment in student-driven projects and the social dimensions of human-technology interaction in public spaces.

Høbye leads and participates in interdisciplinary research initiatives exploring technology's role in education and artistic expression:

• Active Project: Low-Code Programming of Spatial Contexts for Logistic Tasks in Mobile Robotics (2022–present)
• Completed Projects: MemoryMechanics (2020–2023), Robots on stage (2018–2020), Connecting through pulse with Royal Danish Theatre (2017–2018), Dynamic transparencies (2017–2018)

Through illutron collaborative and fablab initiatives, Høbye maintains laboratory spaces focused on community-driven technological experimentation. The collective operates as a non-profit governed by active members, providing facilities for artists to work with technology, biology, and scrap materials while hosting exhibitions in museums and public settings since 2004. His current work emphasizes creating frameworks for democratic technology ownership through open knowledge-sharing practices.