Jan van Erp

Professorship chair

Tangible User Interaction (University of Twente).

Research area

I am fascinated by advanced ICT as well as by the complexity of the human brain and body and I try to realize breakthroughs where they meet. Examples include brain computer interfaces, multi-sensory user interfaces, human-controlled robotics, visualization of big data, and the interaction between body and brain.

For human-controlled robotics, we aim to break the barriers of distance and to transport the operator's social and functional self to any fit for-purpose robotic avatar at any place on Earth through a compelling combination of state-of-the-art social, visual, haptic, audio and olfactory technologies.

By studying body-brain interactions, we intend to discover the mechanistic way they influence each other, ultimately leading to interventions that prevent cognitive decline caused by aging, disease or external stressors and/or facilitate cognitive enhancement for people working at the edge of their capabilities. This research area is relevant in health and disease and links the TNO units Healthy Living, ICT, and Defence, Safety & Security.

Top publications

• Willemse, C.J.A.M. & Van Erp, J.B.F. (2019). Social Touch in Human-Robot Interaction: Robot-initiated touches can induce positive responses without extensive prior bonding. International Journal of Social Robotics, 11(2), 285–304. doi: 10.1007/s12369-018-0500-9.
• Kaneko, D., Toet, A., Brouwer, A.-M., Kallen, V. & Van Erp, J.B.F. (2018). Methods for evaluating emotions evoked by food experiences: A literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9:911. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00911.
• De Dieuleveult, A.L., Siemonsma, P.C., Van Erp, J.B.F. & Brouwer, A.-M. (2017). Multisensory integration: a systematic review on age related changes and activities of daily life. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00080