ABOUT ME
I am Xinyi Renee Pu 浦心仪 working across sensory design, human–computer interaction, and material-based media art. My background spans mathematics (B.S.) and religious studies (B.A.) from Fudan University, and an M.I.D. in Global Innovation Design at Pratt Institute, with exchange experiences in IDE program at Imperial College London / RCA and Media Design in Keio University’s Embodied Media Lab.
My research explores marginal senses—smell, touch, and sound—as primary interfaces for interaction, combining my interest of soft wearables, digital knitting, and smell-based fabrication to reimagine how humans perceive, negotiate, and co-create meaning with technology. I aim to design systems that are emotionally grounded, culturally sensitive, and materially expressive, bridging technical prototyping with philosophical reflection on perception and embodiment.
PUBLICATION
RESEARCH
AromaTrace
2025
A paper-based, friction-activated scent printing system that invites people to compose with smell as a primary medium.
Volitional vs. Forced
2025
A Field Study of Just-in-Time Interventions for Digital Attention Recovery.
Yuki's Seven Rooms
2025
An immersive VR narrative experience that invites participants to reconstruct the identity of an unseen protagonist, Yuki.
ShoulDex (Wearable Sensor)
2025
A Panel-Woven Textile Sensing System for Rotator Cuff Rehabilitation.
INSTALLATION / ART
Conjugate Breathing
2025
An interactive installation that explores the asynchronous breathing rhythms between humans and the sea.
Hair Theatre
2025
Exploring interactive hair as a medium for emotional expression in performance and HCI.
Rebabel
2022
An interactive art installation exploring how invisible cultural filters create subtle barriers between people.
Touch Across Distance
2024
An art installation that transforms light into a mirror of our digital entanglement — hands pressed against glowing screens.
Demon's Spine
2024
A light-based sculpture in which a black hand grips a spine of sculpted vertebrae, each bone ending in a black orb that glows from within.
DESIGN PROJECTS
Game Controller
2025
Developing a human-centered game controller model based on 3D scanning data.
Chromatic Layers
2024
An experimental garment inspired by the lilac-breasted roller, layered in patchwork to echo the bird's vivid gradations.
BLOG & NOTES
BlinkJump: Robustness through Applied Signal Processing
2025
Notes on real-time system integration, application-level debugging, and achieving reliable HCI input through applied signal processing.
The Categorization of Indigenous Beliefs in Pluralistic Healing Experiences
2022
A study and discussion on the overlapping therapeutic spaces of Primary Religions, Mainstream Religions, and Modern Medicine.
Occult Elements in Urban Chinese Life: The Psychologization of Tarot Reading
2023
Analyzing the rise of Tarot in digital urban China, this project uses a user study and the Interaction Ritual Chain framework to frame occult consultation as a low-barrier Spiritual UX alternative for mental health support.