Craig Shultz

Craig Shultz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he joined in January 2024. He is affiliated with the College of Engineering and conducts research through the Interactive Display Lab, which he founded upon joining UIUC. Prior to his academic position, Shultz co-founded Fluid Reality and served as VP of Research and Development at Tanvas, where he developed electroadhesive touchscreens based on his research at Northwestern University.

Dr. Shultz's educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University (2017)
• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University (2015)
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tulsa (2011)

Shultz's research focuses on advancing human-computer interaction through innovative haptic technologies. His work centers on developing tactile interfaces that leverage electrostatic actuation and novel input/output devices to create immersive user experiences. His primary research areas include:

• Human-Computer Interaction - Exploring contemporary use cases and building novel input and output devices
• Electrostatic Actuation - Modeling and characterization of moderate to high voltage electrostatic actuators
• Haptic Technology - Designing and evaluating tactile interaction devices
• Interactive Embedded Systems - Creating systems that respond to human touch in sophisticated ways

Shultz's research has demonstrated how haptic technologies can enhance user experiences across various domains including virtual reality, mobile devices, and interactive displays. His work aims to elevate haptic rendering to the sophistication level of graphics and audio systems through practical hardware and software solutions.

Dr. Shultz has received numerous prestigious awards for his research contributions:

• IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Technical Committee on Haptics Early Career Award (2025)
• TCH Early Career Award at World Haptics 2025
• Sony Faculty Innovation Award for Finger Mounted Haptic Displays (2025)
• Multiple Best Paper awards at premier ACM and IEEE conferences (2014-2022)

As an educator and mentor, Shultz has advised multiple graduate students in the Interactive Display Lab, including Jung-Hwan (the lab's inaugural member), Seung Heon, and Yanjun (his first PhD student). His research has attracted significant attention, being featured in major media outlets including NBC Nightly News, TechCrunch, and Engadget. Shultz teaches courses such as ECE 210 (Analog Signal Processing), ECE 211 (Analog Circuits & Systems), ECE 445 (Senior Design Project Lab), ECE 598 CS (Interactive Haptic Systems), and ME 470 ZJ3 (Senior Design Project).

The Interactive Display Lab, housed in room 3038 of the Electrical and Computer Engineering building at UIUC, is equipped with electronics assembly and debugging equipment, a prototyping lab, optical bench, student offices, and a photo and VR studio. The lab benefits from access to departmental mechanical, electrical, and clean room fabrication facilities. Current research directions include developing fast interactive soft buttons (DynaButtons), high-resolution haptic gloves (Fluid Reality), and flat panel haptics with embedded electroosmotic pumps.