معرفی
Thomas Langerak is a PhD student and Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Advanced Interactive Technologies lab under Prof. Otmar Hilliges. His academic journey includes a double-degree in Human-Computer Interaction and Design from Aalto University (Finland) and University of Twente (Netherlands), and a B.Sc. in Industrial Design from Eindhoven University of Technology.
His research spans Human-Computer Interaction, Reinforcement Learning, and Haptic Systems, with recent work focusing on multi-agent RL for adaptive interfaces and novel electromagnetic actuation for VR/AR. Earlier contributions centered on custom haptic hardware like the Hedgehog pin array and Omni volumetric system.
Publication trends reveal an evolution from hardware prototyping (2018-2020) toward intelligent interface optimization (2021-2024), with increasing emphasis on user modeling and adaptive automation. Key venues include ACM UIST, CHI, and IEEE Transactions.
- Honorable Mention - Best Paper Award at World Haptics Conference 2021
As an academic mentor, he supervised Mengfan Wu's thesis on electromagnetic tracking and Aline Abler's Hedgehog interface development. His service includes UIST organizing roles (Data Co-Chair 2021-2022) and session chairing. Teaching spans HCI, Computational Haptics, and ML fairness courses since 2019.
Laboratory work occurs within ETH's Advanced Interactive Technologies group, specializing in computational interaction and electromagnetic systems for immersive environments.
