Human-computer interaction, for the most part, relies on two things: a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad. But as technology evolves, how we interact with machines is changing too. Both gesture and voice control are becoming increasingly common and not simply from an accessibility point of view. “We’re moving to a world where there’s going to be spatial computing, where computers will be embedded in certain wearables or immersive computing where we’re in virtual reality,” says Adam Pantanowitz, a research scientist and lecturer in Electrical and Biomedical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg. “The way that we interface with computers is certainly changing. Wearables are a big part of this.”

His research into human-computer interaction stems from his fascination around how the body can be interfaced with from a muscular and neurological perspective. It’s also rooted in accessibility – he had a neuromuscular condition growing up, which affected him greatly.