Call for Participation

This CHI 2026 long-format workshop brings together researchers and practitioners working in embodied interaction, virtual reality, wearable robotics, haptics, multimodal sensing, and neuroscience. The goal is to connect research outcomes across virtual embodiment and on-body augmentation.

Call for Position Papers

We invite position papers of 2–4 pages on topics related to the workshop themes. 

Divergent and exploratory ideas are welcome.

Theme 1: Embodiment and Adaptation with Virtually Augmented Body Parts

This theme examines how users perceive, learn, and control additional body parts within virtual environments. We explore how design choices in virtual augmentation shape experiences of embodiment and adaptation.

• How do different control mappings and sensory feedback modalities influence ownership and agency?

• What onboarding or training strategies support adaptation without introducing cognitive overload?

• What are the limits of human plasticity when body morphology deviates from the human template, and how might design mitigate these limits?
  
  

Theme 2: Bridging Virtual Embodiment to Wearable Robotics

This theme focuses on how insights gained from virtual embodiment research can be translated into practical guidance for wearable robotic systems. We aim to discuss how virtual studies can meaningfully inform real-world, on-body implementations.

• Which VR-derived strategies for embodiment and adaptation reliably transfer to physical systems?

• What forms of evidence gathered in virtual environments best predict successful use of wearable robotics?

• How should interaction artifacts (e.g., control mappings, feedback parameters, logs) be structured and shared to support reuse across systems?
  
  

Beyond these themes, we also invite submissions that explore related or emerging topics, raise new questions, or offer alternative perspectives on augmented bodies, embodiment, and human augmentation. The workshop is intended as an open space for speculative, critical, and forward-looking discussions.

Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: February 12, 2026, AoE

• Notification Date: February 28, 2026, AoE

• Workshop Date: TBD