I’m Di Wu (吳迪), a second-year PhD Candidate in Computer Science at Northwestern University, working in the tiilt Lab advised by Professor Marcelo Worsley.
I investigate the unification of actuation and sensing to create programmable physical interfaces that can both perceive and transform their physical states. Through this integration, I explore tighter physical-digital coupling, where computation continuously interacts with and reshapes the physical world. Bridging Human-computer Interaction, device fabrication, and soft robotics, I develop soft actuators, smart materials, and textile-integrated devices through fabrication, characterization, and control. I apply these technologies to haptics, wearable interfaces, assistive technologies, rehabilitation, and embodied learning.
Before starting my Ph. D. at Northwestern, I had the pleasure of working in Morphing Matter Lab, advised by Professor Lining Yao and Professor Qiuyu Lu (now Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University). I received my Master's from Carnegie Mellon University, and my Bachelor of Architecture from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST).
NEWS
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03/31/2026 Started my third TA in COMP_SCI 333: Interactive Information Visualization!
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03/12/2026 Successfully passed my PhD qualifying exam. Deep thanks to my amazing committee: Prof. Marcelo Worsley, Prof. Michael Horn, and Prof. Karan Ahuja!
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03/11/2026 ACM TEI 2026 wrapped up smoothly—grateful for the experience and the incredible people I met along the way.
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03/08/2026 ACM TEI 2026 (20th edition) is finally here at the University of Chicago—excited to be part of it!
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01/22/2026 Just finished two papers (CHI Demo and DIS) today!
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01/10/2026 Still working on our submission to ACM DIS 2026!
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01/09/2026 Excited to wrap up our new demo paper for ACM CHI 2026!
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01/05/2026 Back to Evanston and started my second TA in COMP_SCI 110 Introduction in Computer Programming!
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01/02/2026 Got the printed business cards in both English and Traditional Chinese versions! Can't wait to share with you!
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12/19/2025 Happy to announce that I have completed the first milestone of my PhD: completing my MSCS in Primary PhD!
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12/15/2025 Finished my first TA in COMP_SCI 330 Human-computer Interaction during my PhD! Shout out to Prof. Matthew Kay!
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12/08/2025 Preparing my trip back to China for the family reunion!
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10/22/2025 Finished reviewing the paper from ACM CHI 2026!
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09/18/2025 Finished reviewing 2 papers from ACM TEI 2026!
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03/06/2025 Excited to serve ACM TEI 2026 as one of the Hybrid Chairs! See you all in Chicago!
PUBLICATIONS
My long-term vision is to build interfaces by fusing materials, mechanics, and interaction. Publications in ACM CHI have advanced morphing interfaces and material-driven interactivity, while work published in materials journals such as Materials Horizons explores reconfigurable soft electronics. In parallel, submissions to engineering venues like IEEE Sensors focus on durable, low-voltage actuation. Together, these works lay the foundation for systems where the human body becomes the interface itself.
IEEE Sensor 2025 [Full Article]
Easy-to-Fabricate and Durable Soft Electrohydraulic Actuator for Hands-On Robotics Education
Di Wu, Pavel Belakurski*, Ruihang Gao*, Gyda Nawarungruang, Xuyang Li, Jonah Robinson, Brandon Tendilla, Purnendu, Nivedita Arora.
Under review
North America Materials Education Symposium 2025 [Symposium]
Teaching Soft Robotics Through Co-Design of Materials, Mechanics, and Electronics: A Focus on Electrohydraulic Artificial Muscles
Di Wu, Ruihang Gao, Pavel Belakurski, Purnendu, Nivedita Arora
Materials Horizons 2025 [Full Article]
Wearable and Reconfigurable Smart Textile Circuit with Liquid Metal
Chanho Jeong, Kiyoon Kwon, Di Wu, Yibo Fu, Yeong-sinn Ye, Lining Yao, Tae-il Kim, Carmel Majidi.
ACM CHI 2024 [Full Article]
Waxpaper Actuator: Sequentially and Conditionally Wax Paper for Morphing Interfaces
Di Wu, Emily Guan*, Yunjia Zhang*, Hsuanju Lai, Qiuyu Lu, Lining Yao
ACM CHI 2023 [Full Article]
EpoMemory: Multi-state Shape Memory for Programmable Morphing Interfaces
Ke Zhong, Adriane Fernandes Minori, Di Wu, Humphrey Yang, Mohammad Islam, Lining Yao
ACM CHI EA 2023 [Demo]
Demonstrating Waxpaper Plus: Sequentially and Conditionally Programmable Morphing Wax Fabrics
Di Wu*, Qiuyu Lu*, Hsuanju Lai**, Yunjia Zhang**, Lining Yao
ACM CHI EA 2024 [Demo]
Design and Simulation Tool for Sequentially and Conditionally Programmable Waxpaper Morphing Interfaces
Emily Guan, Di Wu, Qiuyu Lu, Lining Yao