A new episode of inControl podcast is out! Digital Futures Director Karl H. Johansson takes us on a journey through hybrid systems, wireless and event-based control, mobility applications, cybersecurity, and societal-scale challenges. Semper in motu… a captivating dive into the future of control systems!

Link to all episodes of InControl podcast: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/

Text: Johanna Gavefalk

New Flagship Projects Call
A new call for flagship projects will open in the first semester of 2025. Selected projects will commence in January 2026.

New Instrument: Seed Funding for ERC Applications
We are introducing seed funding to support writing ERC applications in the categories of Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, and Advanced Grants. Key details:

ISPP Mobility Grant
The ISPP Mobility Grant will return and be open year-round. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis.
For more information and examples, visit:

Digital Futures Retreat Update
We are pleased to announce that the Executive Committee and the leaders of group work from Day 1 (Ioana-Oriana Bercea, Ioanna Milliou, Andrii Matviienko, Vitaly Petrov, Jennifer Ryan, Jörg Conradt, Angela Fontan, and Silun Zhang) are actively working on the feedback and planning to continue their efforts in spring 2025 in various constellations.

Four strategic workshops are planned to advance work on the Sandbox, Digital Futures Grand Challenges, and Data Sharing and Testbeds in Health-Related Research. The leaders of group work Day 2 coordinate workshop planning:

We look forward to continued collaboration in these important areas!

Text: Johanna Gavefalk

On November 27, the Digital Futures for Education series hosted a debate, bringing together two distinguished professors and an engaged audience to explore the evolving relationship between education, technology, and professional judgment in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The debate, moderated by Daniel Pargman (Associate Professor in Media Technology and Interaction Design at KTH), stimulated a lively discussion about nurturing knowledge, sense, and sensibility in an increasingly rule- and data-driven society. The debate featured Jonna Bornemark, Professor of Philosophy at Södertörn University, and Nina Wormbs, Professor in the History of Technology at KTH. Both are well-known Swedish intellectuals often heard on the radio and elsewhere.

Jonna Bornemark emphasized the importance of balancing rationalization with human judgment, especially in contexts marked by complexity and uncertainty. Drawing on her works, including Det omätbaras renässans: en uppgörelse med pedanternas världsherravälde [Renessaince of the unmeasurable] (2018), she argued for engaging not only with knowledge but also with not-knowing, and with acknowledging the role that the senses, desire, play and fantasy play in knowledge production practices.

Nina Wormbs, delving into the material and societal consequences of digitalization, offered a complementary perspective on emerging technologies. Through her extensive research on media history and climate change, she discussed the promises and challenges of data-driven practices in challenging times.

The key themes explored during the seminar included:

Reflecting on the event, Tessy Cerratto Pargman, Associate Director of Outreach at Digital Futures and organizer of the seminar, shared: “As we navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape, discussions like these are essential to help us reflect on how we talk about technological progress, innovation and digital transformation, and from which discursively positions. Digital Futures for Education is committed to fostering critical dialogues about technological innovation for a social world made by people, their dreams, their learning and their self-development.”

This seminar exemplified the broader mission of Digital Futures for Education: to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue, to examine the role of digitalization in educational transformations critically, and to build a community of key stakeholders across academia, civil society, and beyond.

Stay tuned for upcoming events as the series continues to foster timely conversations on the intersection of education, digitalization, and society.

Text: Johanna Gavefalk

From August to December 2024, Lucca Geurts, Associate Professor at KU Leuven (Belgium), is joining Digital Futures as a Scholar in Residence. Lucca brings extensive expertise in Human-Computer Interaction, with a focus on designing interactive sensor-actuator systems that incorporate tangible and playful elements. Lucca’s work spans diverse domains such as health, learning, arts, and entertainment, often collaborating with healthcare professionals and artists to create meaningful technologies for vulnerable groups, including children with developmental disabilities and underserved communities.

In action – Lucca Geurts and Madeline Balaam with the Pelvic Chair

At Digital Futures, Lucca is hosted by Professor Madeline Balaam in the Media Technology and Interaction Design Department. Together, they are exploring innovative designs for technologies that engage with the human body, such as the soft robotics pelvic chair, which promotes awareness of pelvic floor anatomy. Lucca’s residency offers a unique opportunity to integrate new perspectives and methodologies, including somaesthetic design, into future research and teaching at KU Leuven.

At a highly anticipated seminar hosted by Madeline Balaam at the Digital Futures Hub on 21 November 2024, Lucca Geurts discussed Digital Technologies as Solutions for Health Challenges in the Global South. You can watch the recorded presentation on YouTube. Click here to watch!

Hi Lucca, in August you joined Digital Futures as a Scholar in Residence. What drew you to this opportunity, and how does it align with your work at KU Leuven?

– My home university encourages professors to take sabbatical leave, and for me, this was the perfect opportunity to refresh my perspectives and deepen my research. While searching for a suitable host institution, I came across Madeline’s work on interactive systems for health and well-being, which significantly overlaps with my research on tangible and playful systems for health. I was particularly drawn to her current projects on intimate technologies and curious about the methods she uses to design them.

Your research spans health, learning, arts, and entertainment, with a focus on interactive sensor-actuator systems. What inspired you to work across such diverse domains, and what connections do you see between them?

– My inspiration mainly came from the people who approached us. Since we established our research lab, we’ve been contacted by health professionals, educational specialists, and artists, and these encounters have led to exciting and challenging opportunities. At first glance, these domains may seem distinct, but they all involve designing engaging interactive systems, often using similar methodologies and technologies. Working with artists, for example, has shown us alternative ways of doing things, which in turn inspires us to explore novel approaches when designing solutions for specific diseases or disabilities.

During your residency, you’ve been collaborating on projects like the pelvic chair using soft robotics. Could you tell us more about this project and how it fits into your broader research on technologies that touch the body?

– All credit goes to Madeline and her group for designing and developing the pelvic chair. It’s literally a chair you sit on, with soft actuators that touch different parts of your pelvic floor muscles, creating greater awareness of this part of your body. Together with other team members, I’m exploring how to make the chair interactive, allowing users to have more control over how they are touched. I bring expertise in tangible and embodied interaction, but this is my first time working with this type of actuation. In my past projects, the focus was on users touching objects; now, the object is touching the user.

You frequently work with vulnerable groups, such as children with developmental disabilities or people in underserved areas. How has this focus shaped your approach to designing and implementing technology?

– It has shaped my approach significantly. The first step is to set aside any preconceptions and begin with an open and curious mind. In the field of Human-Computer Interaction, it’s common to start with user and task analyses to better understand end users’ needs and their context. In general, we’ve found that these groups are quite eager to collaborate with us and actively contribute to designing solutions that address their needs.

Your time in Sweden involves engaging with the Media Technology and Interaction Design Department and participating in research seminars. What has the experience been like, and what insights or collaborations have stood out so far?

– So far, it has been an incredible experience. The projects they are working on and their approaches to design are highly inspirational. Before this, I wasn’t familiar with somaesthetic design principles or designing from a first-person perspective, but now I plan to incorporate these principles into my future projects. Another standout aspect has been the high level of engagement among researchers. Everyone collaborates and discusses ideas with one another, fostering a culture of collective growth. This group envisions the future and actively creates designs to shape it.

Not to be missed! Lucca Geurts’ talk about Digital Technologies as Solutions for Health Challenges in the Global South. Watch it on Youtube! Click here to watch!

Text: Johanna Gavefalk

Take part in an extraordinary learning experience as Jonas Adler, a key figure in the team behind DeepMind’s groundbreaking AlphaFold project, shares insights into solving one of biology’s greatest mysteries: the protein folding problem. This informal talk is tailored for students, researchers, and faculty eager to explore the intersection of mathematics, AI, and biology.

What: AlphaFold: A Scientific Journey from Mathematics to Biology
When: Monday, December 9, 12:00–13:00
Where: Lecture Hall E1, Osquars Backe 2 (or Lindstedtsvägen 3), KTH Main Campus

More information in the KTH Calendar

What to Expect
Jonas will recount his personal and scientific journey—from his early days as a KTH student contributing to Folding@home on a gaming computer, to becoming a core contributor to AlphaFold at DeepMind. Learn why the protein folding problem has puzzled scientists for decades, why solving it is pivotal for advancing science and medicine, and how mathematics and machine learning enabled the breakthrough that AlphaFold represents.

This session will also reflect the engaging spirit of Jonas’s keynote talk from Digitalize in Stockholm 2024, where he captivated audiences with his insights into the revolutionary impact of AI on science and technology.

About Jonas Adler
Jonas is a Senior Staff Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, currently part of the Gemini team. With a MSc in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Mathematics from KTH, Jonas has been at the forefront of deep learning applications, especially in tomographic image reconstruction and molecular biology. His contributions to AlphaFold have been recognized globally, placing him among the leading innovators in AI.

Who should attend?
The event is open to all interested participants, particularly MSc students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and faculty members with an interest in artificial intelligence, computational biology, or the fascinating intersection of these fields.

Contact: Digital Futures Faculty member Ozan Öktem, by sending a mail to ozan@kth.se.

Don’t miss this chance to hear firsthand from a pioneer about one of the most transformative scientific breakthroughs of our time!

Text: Johanna Gavefalk

Robert Johansson is an Associate Professor at Stockholm University and a faculty member at Digital Futures. He is the creator of Machine Psychology, a new interdisciplinary field that combines insights from learning psychology and adaptive AI systems. His research in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) explores how cognitive processes, specifically Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding (AARR), can be modeled using the Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System (NARS). In clinical psychology, his work spans diverse topics, with a special focus on emotion-focused psychotherapy models.

On November 21, 2024, Robert Johansson presented his second PhD thesis, this time in computer science, titled Empirical Studies in Machine Psychology, at Linköping University. This work showcased his innovative approach to integrating psychology and computational models in AGI research, building on his prior interdisciplinary achievements. View the presentation on Youtube!

Your thesis introduces Machine Psychology as a novel interdisciplinary paradigm. What inspired you to synthesize learning psychology with the Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System (NARS), and how does this approach differ from traditional methods in AGI research?

– The foundation of Machine Psychology was inspired by my deep interest in Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding (AARR), a core process in human cognition that underlies our ability to form abstract, context-independent relationships. AARR fascinated me because it captures the essence of how humans derive complex reasoning and adapt flexibly to novel situations. This interest naturally led me to explore how such processes could be modeled computationally.

Integrating AARR with NARS was a logical step, as NARS’s design philosophy aligns closely with principles from learning psychology. NARS’s focus on reasoning under uncertainty and limited information provided an ideal platform for modeling the flexibility and generalization inherent in AARR. Machine Psychology emerged as a framework that combines the adaptive reasoning capabilities of NARS with the relational principles of learning psychology, modeling cognitive processes that are both generalizable and context-sensitive. This interdisciplinary approach represents a shift toward understanding and modeling intelligence as general and flexible, rather than task-specific.

Your thesis details a progression of empirical studies using psychological experimental paradigms to explore complex cognitive behaviors in NARS. How did adapting psychological experimental paradigms for use with NARS influence the design or development of the system, and what does this reveal about the relationship between human cognition and artificial intelligence?

– Adapting psychological experimental paradigms for use with NARS shaped the system’s architecture and functionality, requiring it to implement key aspects of human cognitive flexibility. For instance, paradigms like operant conditioning and relational responding emphasized the need for NARS to process dynamic feedback, temporal dependencies, and abstract relational patterns. These adaptations not only refined NARS’s reasoning mechanisms but also highlighted the critical role of psychological theories in guiding AI design.

This process revealed a profound integration of theoretical perspectives: the learning and relational principles that shape human cognition can also serve as a blueprint for developing adaptive, general-purpose AI systems. By drawing on insights from psychology, Machine Psychology demonstrates how interdisciplinary approaches can deepen our understanding of both human intelligence and Artificial General Intelligence.

How did your involvement with Digital Futures support or influence the development of your thesis? Were there specific collaborations, resources, or ideas from this environment that played a key role?

– Digital Futures played a pivotal role in supporting this research by providing funding and fostering an interdisciplinary environment that was essential for the growth of Machine Psychology. The funding allowed us to recruit key collaborators, conduct empirical studies, and organize the AGI-2023 conference, which brought together leading researchers to discuss advancements in Artificial General Intelligence.

This conference, along with other activities facilitated by Digital Futures, fostered invaluable collaborations and showcased the relevance of Machine Psychology as a groundbreaking paradigm. Additionally, access to their network of experts and cutting-edge resources enriched the research, underscoring the transformative impact of interdisciplinary support on advancing AGI.

Your research highlights Machine Psychology as a promising framework for advancing AGI. Looking ahead, what are the next steps for this paradigm, and how do you envision its adoption or expansion within the AGI community?

– The next steps for Machine Psychology involve refining and scaling its principles. This includes developing more advanced implementations of Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding (AARR) in systems like NARS and testing these capabilities in increasingly complex, real-world scenarios. Expanding interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly with researchers in Relational Frame Theory, computational neuroscience, and robotics, will be crucial to grounding these developments in both psychological theory and practical applications.

Building a broader community of researchers and practitioners will also be key to applying Machine Psychology principles to real-world challenges. For example, this framework could revolutionize adaptive AI in education by tailoring learning pathways to individual needs or enhance AI’s ability to model complex human emotions for more empathetic psychotherapy tools.

Ultimately, Machine Psychology aims to redefine how we design and understand intelligent systems, ensuring they align with human values and societal needs. By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and addressing real-world challenges, it can become a foundational framework for adaptive, ethical, and human-aligned AI systems.

Links to presentation:

Professor Gustaaf Jacobs, Scholar in Residence at Digital Futures from October 2024 to January 2025, is a leading expert in scientific computing and the physics of turbulent flows, chemically reacting systems, and aerodynamics. A full professor at San Diego State University and an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, he was recognized among Stanford’s Top 2% Most Highly Cited Scientists in 2022. His career spans academic and leadership roles at institutions like Delft University, MIT, and Brown University, and he is a recipient of the prestigious US Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award.

Professor Jacobs’ work focuses on developing rigorous algorithms to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of multi-scale physics simulations. During his residency, hosted by Professor Jennifer K. Ryan at KTH, he is collaborating on the development of regularized discontinuous Galerkin formulations and multi-scale modeling kernels. His efforts integrate mathematics, physics, and numerics to advance simulations of turbulent flows in renewable energy and propulsion systems.

In this interview, Professor Jacobs shares his insights into multi-scale modeling, his interdisciplinary research journey, and the collaborative future of scientific computing.

As a Scholar in Residence at Digital Futures, you’re collaborating on the development of multi-scale physics modeling kernels. What excites you most about this opportunity, and how does it build on your extensive work in scientific computing and turbulent flow physics?

– A distribution kernel is a pivotal component in connecting dynamical systems that govern the principal components of a given multi-physics problem. My work has focused on coupling several such multi-physics problems in the areas of particle-laden flows, plasmas, and chemically reacting flows. A generalized perspective necessitates consistent mathematical analysis. Digital Futures is providing the opportunity to explore this analysis in collaboration with leaders in the field at KTH.

Your research focuses on creating mathematically rigorous algorithms that enhance the accuracy and efficiency of multi-scale physics simulations. Could you elaborate on the challenges of balancing mathematical rigor, computational efficiency, and practical application in these algorithms?

– A rigorous proof of the sufficient properties that ensure the robustness and accuracy of a kernel approximation provides the rules of thumb for designing an algorithm. Accuracy estimates and robustness are invaluable for solving a problem with minimum resolution requirements, thus ensuring optimal usage of computational resources. This, in turn, facilitates the rapid prototyping of engineering systems.

A significant part of your residency involves developing and testing regularized discontinuous Galerkin formulations for turbulent flow problems. Why are these formulations critical for advancing our understanding and simulation of multi-scale physics phenomena?

– Particle-laden and (fuel) droplet-laden turbulent flows are central to the operation of power-generating units in renewable and green energy systems, as well as propulsion systems. High-fidelity predictive tools, such as high-order discontinuous Galerkin-based flow solvers, are essential for accurately predicting and understanding mixing characteristics and related combustion efficiency and cooling strategies.

Over the years, you’ve held diverse roles in academia and industry, from serving as a Program Chair at conferences to mentoring early-career researchers. How have these experiences shaped your approach to fostering innovation and collaboration in your field?

– With the advent of data-driven science and related model development, engineering, science, mathematics, and their subfields are increasingly overlapping. Machine learning, for example, requires data generation from the physics of engineering systems, predictive tools and their numerical analysis, reduced models and dynamical systems mathematics, statistical analysis, advanced manifold fitting, and much more. This has brought fields closer together and made them much less siloed than they might have been in the past. Most modern research portfolios are collaborative and multidisciplinary as a result. Serving in various roles in academia and industry has exposed me to the multiple facets of science, mathematics, and engineering, shaping my broad program of research and fostering collaborations with a wide range of expertise.

With a career spanning from Delft University to MIT and now San Diego State University, your work bridges physics, mathematics, and computational engineering. What advice would you give to researchers looking to integrate interdisciplinary approaches into their work, especially in the field of scientific computing?

– This is a great question. A valuable lesson I have learned is that one should be eager to learn, broaden one’s horizons, and most importantly, enjoy the process. For me, the most gratifying aspect of an academic career is understanding a scientific problem from multiple perspectives. Visiting experiences, such as those provided by Digital Futures, are instrumental in enhancing one’s learning experience. Especially in the early stages of a career, if the opportunity exists to explore one’s scientific preferences, I would highly recommend it. Working with several renowned mentors has given me the opportunity to do exactly that and has instilled in me a strong desire for lifelong learning.