Gary Wolf

Founder of The Quantified Self and Director of Article 27 Foundation

Abstract: Epistemic agency is the right and capacity of an individual to act as a producer of knowledge, rather than only a source of data — to pose questions, gather and interpret evidence, reach conclusions, and be recognized by others as a credible knower. Epistemic agency is not something that can simply be granted. It is realized through epistemic activities, such as training, research, communication of discoveries, and response to feedback and criticism. Since its founding in 2008, the Quantified Self community has supported participants’ epistemic agency through developing tools, methods, and systems for sharing knowledge. This seminar will review some of the lessons learned, with an emphasis on how AIs may both advance and limit participation in knowledge-making.

Bio: Gary Wolf is the author of The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe. (Workman Publishing, 2026) A former executive editor of Wired Digital and contributing editor at Wired magazine, he cofounded the Quantified Self movement in 2008. He currently works with the Personal Science Research Group to build tools, develop methods, and publish case studies that support small scale empirical science. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Junji Kido

Distinguished Research Professor, Frontier Center for Organic Materials, Yamagata University

Abstract: Inspired by the first report of a two-layer heterojunction OLED by Tang and VanSlyke in 1987, our group began OLED research at Yamagata University in 1989. Our first OLED device was a terbium-complex-based green emitter that exhibited triplet-state emission. We then shifted our focus to polymer OLEDs, leading to the development of the world’s first white OLEDs. Subsequently, we developed vacuum-deposited white OLEDs, marking the beginning of our research on OLED lighting.

OLED performance has advanced steadily over the past three decades. In 2003, our group first reported tandem OLEDs at SID, demonstrating a device architecture capable of achieving both high brightness and long operational lifetime. In 2011, Lumiotec commercialized the world’s first OLED lighting panels. Subsequently, LG adopted tandem white OLEDs with color filters for the mass production of large-size OLED display panels. Today, OLED displays are widely used in consumer electronics and are predominantly manufactured by vacuum deposition.

In this talk, I will describe how these innovations were conceived and developed over the past 37 years, highlighting the key ideas behind each breakthrough and discussing future directions for OLED technology.

Bio: Prof. Kido received his B.S. degree in Applied Chemistry from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 1984, and his Ph.D. degree in Polymer Chemistry from Polytechnic University (now part of New York University), New York, USA in 1989. In the same year, he joined the Department of Polymer Chemistry at Yamagata University in Japan as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995 and to full professor in 2002. In 2011, he was appointed Distinguished Research Professor, and in 2024, he was conferred the lifetime title of University Fellow.

His research focuses on organic electronic materials and devices, particularly organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). He invented white-light-emitting OLEDs in 1993 and has continuously worked on developing high-performance OLEDs. The Wall Street Journal (May 10, 1995) cited his work in an article titled “Japanese Light Researcher May Turn LED into Gold.”

His contributions have been recognized by numerous awards, including the Society Award from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan; the Fellow Award and the Karl Ferdinand Braun Award from the Society for Information Display, U.S.A. (in 2008 and 2015, respectively); and the Society Award from the Chemical Society of Japan in 2021. He also received the Herman F. Mark Technology Medal from Polytechnic University in 2007 and the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Emperor of Japan in 2013.

Neeraj Pramodkumar

Senior Product Manager for Wearable AI, Qualcomm

Abstract: As AI moves from reactive assistants toward proactive, context-aware systems, wearables are becoming an increasingly important interface between digital intelligence and human context. With continuous multimodal sensing, edge AI, and low-power connectivity, wearables are evolving from passive trackers into intelligent systems that can infer context in real time and deliver responsive, personalized, and privacy-aware experiences.

This talk examines the technologies enabling that shift through the lens of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, the first wearable platform with an integrated Hexagon NPU for on-device AI. We will discuss how advances in sensor fusion, local inference, and efficient connectivity are enabling new classes of wearable experiences, from predictive wellness insights and natural voice interactions to proactive personal assistance. We will also explore emerging application directions in ambient and embodied AI, along with the practical design tradeoffs that shape real-world deployment.

Bio: Neeraj Pramodkumar is a Senior Product Manager at Qualcomm, where he leads AI and ecosystem partnerships for Snapdragon Wearables platforms. He brings more than a decade of experience across software development, AI/ML program and product management, and has led initiatives reaching over 1 billion connected devices globally.

He currently focuses on building exciting on-device AI experiences for Snapdragon Wear Elite, Qualcomm’s most advanced wearable AI platform. Previously, he led AI initiatives for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, helping advance on-device inference capabilities.

He holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Prof. Xiang Qian, MD

Stanford Medicine Endowed Director; Clinical Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative And Pain Medicine; Clinical Professor (By Courtesy), Neurosurgery, Stanford University

Bio

Angela McIntyre

Executive Director, eWEAR-X, Stanford University

Abstract: As Agentic AI evolves to solve problems, wearables are being elevated as their sensing systems and interfaces with humans and the real world. Embodied AI advances perception in AI providing the human-worn sensing needed to interpret and interact with the physical world. Examples of Embodied AI prototypes developed at Stanford University include AI-XR assistants for training and orchestrating task collaboration with robots, Medical AI devices for closed-loop biosensing and treatment, and sensing systems that recognize objects by touch. Robotics and health applications are current drivers for Embodied AI.

Constantine Sideris

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

Abstract: Over the past decade, biomedical device technologies have rapidly evolved, significantly transforming healthcare delivery and diagnostics. Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits, traditionally known as the cornerstone of digital computing, have emerged as a powerful platform driving advancements in biomedical devices. CMOS circuits provide unmatched capabilities, including high integration density, exceptional sensitivity, and cost-effective mass production, making them ideal for developing next-generation biomedical systems. In this presentation, I will discuss how the precise manipulation and detection of electric and magnetic fields enabled by CMOS technology can facilitate the creation of innovative, high-performance, and low-power biomedical devices. Highlighted examples, drawn from our recent research, will cover diverse applications such as magnetic biosensors for wash-free immunodetection at the Point-of-Care, magnetic localization techniques for ingestible “smart” pills, wireless wearable systems for motion tracking, high-voltage neural stimulation for optic nerve and deep brain stimulation with fully on-chip charge balancing, and the first pulse-mode Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer integrated onto a single CMOS chip.

Bio: Constantine Sideris is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California from 2018 to 2025 and an Associate Professor from 2025 to 2026. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees with honors from the California Institute of Technology in 2010, 2011, and 2017 respectively. He was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s Wireless Research Center from 2013 to 2014. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech from January 2017 to August 2018.

He was the recipient of an ONR YIP award in 2023, an NSF CAREER award in 2021, an AFOSR YIP award in 2020, an AFOSR DURIP award in 2021, the Caltech Leadership Award in 2017, and an NSF graduate research fellowship in 2010. His research is highly interdisciplinary and bridges the fields of bioengineering, medicine, applied mathematics and computation with electrical engineering and physics.

His research interests include analog/RF integrated circuits, photonic integrated circuits, and computational electromagnetics for biomedical and biosensing applications and wireless communications. His current interests in biomedical devices include portable Point-of-Care in-vitro biosensors, wearable devices for real-time monitoring and analysis of biological signals, ingestible “smart” pills, and implantable devices. His current interests in computational electromagnetics include developing fast algorithms for simulating RF and nanophotonic devices and coupling them with efficient optimization algorithms to achieve the automated design of new, high-performance electromagnetic devices.

Zhenan Bao

K.K. Lee Professor of Chemical Engineering
Stanford University

Bio

Xiang Qian, MD

Stanford Medicine Endowed Director; Clinical Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative And Pain Medicine; Clinical Professor (By Courtesy), Neurosurgery
Stanford University

Bio

Emmanuel Mignot

Craig Reynolds Professor of Sleep Medicine in the department of Medicine and Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics and of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Stanford University

Abstract

Bio

Le Cong

Associate Professor of Pathology and of Genetics
Stanford University

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Bio

Jiajun Wu

Assistant Professor of Computer Science and, by courtesy, of Psychology
Stanford University

Abstract

Bio

Sheng Xu

Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

Abstract: The use of wearable electronic devices that can acquire vital signs from the human body noninvasively and continuously is a significant trend for healthcare. The combination of materials design and advanced microfabrication techniques enables the integration of various components and devices onto a wearable platform, resulting in functional systems with minimal limitations on the human body. Physiological signals from deep tissues are particularly valuable as they have a stronger and faster correlation with the internal events within the body compared to signals obtained from the surface of the skin. In this presentation, I will demonstrate a soft ultrasonic technology that can noninvasively and continuously acquire dynamic information about deep tissues and central organs. I will also showcase examples of this technology’s use in recording blood pressure and flow waveforms in central vessels, monitoring cardiac chamber activities, and measuring core body temperatures. The soft ultrasonic technology presented represents a platform with vast potential for applications in consumer electronics, defense medicine, and clinical practices.

Bio: Dr. Sheng Xu is a tenured professor and the inaugural Director of Emerging Technologies in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University, with a courtesy appointment in Electrical Engineering. He earned his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Peking University and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he pursued postdoctoral studies at the Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research group is interested in developing new materials and fabrication methods for soft electronics. His research has been presented to the United States Congress as a testimony to the importance and impact of NIH funding.

Huiliang (Evan) Wang

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: Transcranial focused ultrasound has emerged as a promising non-invasive modality for neuromodulation, particularly for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. However, translation into wearable neuromodulation systems has been hindered by the bulky form factor of existing devices, as well as the dehydration and poor adhesion of conventional ultrasound coupling gels. In the first half of this talk, I will introduce a wearable, miniaturized ultrasound device comparable in size to standard EEG electrodes, integrated with a bioadhesive hydrogel to enable efficient acoustic transmission and long-term wearable somatosensory cortical stimulation. By integrating the bioadhesive hydrogel–coupled transducer with a miniaturized electronic circuit embedded in a fabric armband, this platform can also be applied to peripheral nerve stimulation for pain management. Furthermore, I will present the development of a focus-adjustable, wearable focused ultrasound patch system for deep brain stimulation, integrated with electrophysiological recording capabilities for sleep staging. In the second half of the talk, I will go a step further to describe a pathway toward minimally-invasive, genetically targeted neuromodulation using focused ultrasound. Specifically, I will highlight our recent advances in ultrasound-activated nanomaterials, including hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), which enable targeted neuromodulation deep within the brain while eliminating the need for implanted hardware. Finally, I will demonstrate ultrasound-activated release of local anesthetic drugs at peripheral nerves for long-term pain management.

Bio: Dr. Huiliang Wang is an Assistant Professor in the biomedical engineering department at University of Texas at Austin, where he leads his research team in the design of functional nanomaterials, electronic devices, and genetic technology in neural interface engineering. In particular, his lab focuses on the development of new tools to modulate and record neural activity using minimally invasive methods. He did his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering with Prof Zhenan Bao at Stanford University and his postdoctoral research with Prof Karl Deisseroth at Stanford Bioengineering department. He has won several awards including NSF CAREER Award, NIH R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), The Runner-up of Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation, National Academy of Medicine Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Biomedical Engineering Teaching Award.

Hugh Herr, PhD

Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract: Critical to the advancement of wearable robots that emulate or extend normal physiological function is the design of tissue-synthetic interfaces connecting the human body to electromechanics. In this talk, I describe research activities underway to advance mechanoneural interfaces for the mitigation of physical disability experienced by persons with limb pathology. I present limb prostheses that behave dynamically like their biological counterpart, osseointegration technology for the mechanical coupling of a prosthesis to the affected limb’s skeleton, and neural interfaces that serve as an electrical connection from a neuroprosthesis to the peripheral nervous system. Further, I present a digital nervous system designed to artificially control paralyzed musculature for the closed-loop restoration of motor function in persons that have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury. Finally, critical areas of future research are discussed that must be advanced to step towards the next generation of limb mechanoneural prostheses.

Bio: Hugh Herr is creating bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs. Time Magazine coined Dr. Herr the ‘Leader of the Bionic Age’ because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of Biomechatronics – technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics. A double amputee himself, he is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities. He is Professor of Media Arts and Sciences and Associate Investigator at the McGovern Institute at MIT. Professor Herr directs the MIT Biomechatronics Group and co-directs the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics. 

Herr is the author and co-author of over 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts and patents, chronicling the science and technology behind his many innovations. These innovations include powered leg exoskeletons and prostheses, and neural interfacing technologies. A powered ankle-foot prosthesis called EmPower, which emulates the action of a biological leg and, for the first time, provides amputees with a natural gait, was named to the list of Top Ten Inventions in the health category by TIME magazine. Today the EmPower Ankle-Foot Prosthesis has been clinically shown to be the first leg prosthesis in history to reach human normalization, allowing amputees to walk with normal levels of speed, musculoskeletal stress, and metabolism. His research group also developed the first autonomous exoskeleton shown to reduce the metabolic cost of walking. Herr’s MIT group has also invented novel mechanoneural Interfaces to the peripheral nervous system, surgical amputation procedures combined with neural interfacing technologies that enable persons with limb loss to neurally control their synthetic limbs, as well as to experience natural proprioceptive and cutaneous sensations. Herr has received many accolades for his groundbreaking innovations, including the 13th Annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment; the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Technology, the 14th Innovator of the Year Award, and the 41st Inventor of the Year Award, the Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research, and the Liberty Museum Genius Award. Hugh’s story has been told in a National Geographic film, Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr; and episodes and articles featured in CNN, The Economist, Discover and Nature.