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Human-Centered Systems (HCS)

The Division of Human-Centered Systems is a division within the Department of Computer and Information Science. The division's research and teaching is focused on studying and improving the interaction between humans, technology, and society.

A woman is walking in a corridor together with a service robot Photo credit Jonas Järmen

The division has around 60 employees and consists of four units (research laboratories):

  • Cognition and Interaction Lab (COIN)
  • HCS ҳ (HCSEd)
  • Interaction and Service Design Research Group (IxS)
  • Knowledge Modeling and Cognitive Systems (KMACS)


For a presentation of each unit, see below.

Unit Cognition and Interaction Lab (COIN)

Our focus is on understanding and improving the interaction between humans and technology. We study how people interact with different types of technologies, often from perspectives such as situated, distributed, and embodied cognition. The goal is to generate knowledge that can contribute to safer, more usable, and more effective sociotechnical systems in complex environments.

Our research areas include:

  • Social robotics, where we examine how people interact socially with autonomous agents and technologies, ranging from humanoid and animal-like robots to virtual agents and automated vehicles.
  • Human Factors, with a focus on how humans and systems function in complex environments. The work addresses issues related to teamwork, stress, communication, patient safety, resilience, workload, simulation, and usability evaluation. Research is conducted within domains such as military command and control, healthcare, nuclear power, traffic, and aviation. Within transportation we study, for example, human interaction in remote operation of automated vehicles, interaction with autonomous shuttles, and driver analysis for trains.

We use a broad methodological toolbox ranging from qualitative methods such as observations and interviews to quantitative surveys and performance measures. We conduct both field studies and controlled experiments as well as simulations.

We participate in several national and international research collaborations and have strong ties to research institutes such as:

  • VTI (The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute)
  • KMC (Centre for Disaster Medicine and Trauma)
  • FOI (The Swedish Defence Research Agency)
  • RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Our teaching portfolio includes courses and thesis supervision in cognitive science, human–computer interaction, and related areas at undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels.

The unit is led by Tom Ziemke, Professor.

Unit HCS ҳ (HCSEd)

HCSEd consists of researchers deeply engaged in undergraduate education, while also conducting research in several areas. The group combines pedagogical development with technical innovation and works with both computer science education and applied research.

We work with:

  • Computer science education: courses in basic and advanced web programming, programming for Android, Python, C#, JavaScript, and databases.
  • Interaction programming and UX: creating systems and services with good usability and user experience.
  • AI and machine learning: developing methods for model training, evaluation, and systematic data improvement for higher performance.
  • Exergaming and body-controlled interfaces: games and applications that promote physical activity, recovery, and positive experiences.
  • Higher education pedagogy research and development: developing teaching methods and learning within computer science.

Research questions range from how we can improve people’s interaction with technology to how we can create effective and inclusive learning environments.

The unit is led by Anders Fröberg, Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies.


Unit Interaction and Service Design Research Group (IxS)

The IxS research group studies the applied art of facilitating people’s interaction with IT based products, services, and systems. At the core of our work are human needs, idea development, sketching, innovation, and method development. Design is a reflective and creative process that creates solutions that meet both functional and aesthetic requirements.

We work with:

  • Interaction design, user experience, and service design: how people encounter and use digital systems in service contexts, such as autonomous vehicles in public transport and AI systems in schools.
  • Design for policy and the public sector: how design practice can contribute to developing future public services.
  • Design methods and design theory: deepening the understanding of design processes and tools.
  • Prototyping and simulation: methods for shaping and evaluating services and autonomous system.

We explore questions such as:

  • What happens to design when it enters new domains such as policy and service development?
  • How can we understand people’s experiences of autonomous systems and services?
  • Which methods are most suitable for prototyping services and systems with a focus on human needs?

The unit is led by Stefan Holmlid, Professor.

Unit Knowledge Modelling and Cognitive Systems (KMACS)

In the research lab KMACS, we work on developing methods and technologies for representing, analysing, and making knowledge accessible. Our research spans several areas within knowledge modelling and language technology, with a focus on both theoretical contributions and practical applications.

Our main research topics include:

  • Ontologies and knowledge-based systems: methods for modelling and using structured knowledge in computer systems, and creating semantic interoperability.
  • Knowledge Graphs: graph based representations of complex information, used for information integration and decentralised data sharing.
  • Stream reasoning: methods for analysing and reasoning over time series and dynamic data.
  • Applied language technology: tools and methods that link language and knowledge, improve readability, apply topic analysis, sentiment analysis, and enhance our understanding of language use.
  • Large scale social simulations: interactive megagames for understanding and analysing complex systems, and methods for fostering deeper dialogue about societal challenges and sustainability.
  • Applications that support positive relating to sustainability and the circular economy, security, health, and welfare.

Our research contributes to better decision support and innovative knowledge-based solutions for the societal challenges of the future.

In teaching, we contribute with courses and supervision in our research topics, such as knowledge modelling, big data analysis, and societal transformations, but also more general courses in systems development, information technology, and programming.

The unit is led by Eva Blomqvist, Professor.


Contact us

News at HCS

News and major articles

A group of remote controlled devices sitting on top of a dirt field.

CHASS recruits PhD students for research on next-generation drone swarms

CHASS, the Center for Heterogeneous Adaptive Swarm Systems, is now recruiting PhD students for research that could contribute to future search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring and the protection of critical infrastructure.

En kvinna sitter i en stol bredvid en robot.

Vivian Vimarlund – the researcher who shaped the role of digitalisation in the future of healthcare

For more than three decades, Vivian Vimarlund has contributed to the development of health informatics through models and methods used to identify and evaluate the effects of digital innovations and e‑health services in healthcare.

Firefighter infront of wrecked car.

Research on exoskeletons and cleaners receives SEK 16.7 million

LiU receives SEK 16.7 million from AFA Försäkring for research in the field of work environment and health. The projects concern exoskeletons, cleaning staff, part-time managers and digital work environments in health and social care.

Research at HCS

Research at HCS focuses on human-centered systems with the subareas of human-AI/robot interaction; societal challenges and systemic change; transport, mobility and driver assistance; data management, semantics and circular economy; and health, safety and preparedness.

En man som sitter framför en datorskärm.

Research Areas within Human-Centered Systems

Our research spans a wide field in terms of applications, but often shares a focus on the interaction between humans, technology and society, as well as an effort to address complex problems through interdisciplinary and user-centered methods.

Latest publications

2026

Theodore Kindong, Gianluigi Viscusi, Björn Johansson (2026) Design for Better Futures: Beyond the Science of the Artificial. Prototypes and Research-in-Progress, p. 211-223 (Conference paper)
Carolynn Bernier, Wan Li, Jesper Kuiper, Ljiljana Stojanovic, Elio Hbeich, Tassilo Pellegrini, Giray Havur, Albin Ahmeti, Robert David, Vladimir Alexiev, Haris Avgoustinos, Nikolaos Dimitriou, Holger Berg, Kévin Boutillier, Ioan Toma, Christiane Plociennik, Ali Nazeri, Fatima Danash, Dietmar Glachs, Felix Strohmeier, Ana Correia, Natalia Konchakova, Peter Klein, Arnab Sinha, Hossein Rimaz, Lindekrans Mikael, Eva Blomqvist, Huanyu Li, Abdelrahman Abdalla, Ken Wenzel, Quang-Duy Nguyen, Rigo Wenning (2026) (Report)
Eva Blomqvist, Daniel de Leng, Robin Keskisärkkä, Oskar Storm, Christina Stålhandske, Karin Wannerberg, Mikael Lindecrantz (2026) Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Knowledge Graphs for Sustainability (KG4S) (Conference paper)
Amath Sow, Mauricio Rodriguez, Fabíola M. C. de Oliveira, Mariusz Wzorek, Daniel de Leng, Mattias Tiger, Fredrik Heintz, Christian Rothenberg (2026) Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2026) (Conference paper)
Hannah Pelikan, Karin Stendahl, Franziska Babel, Ola Johansson, Erik Frisk (2026) Companion Proceedings of the 21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, p. 31-35 (Conference paper)
Marc Friberg (2026) (Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary)
Henrietta Palmer (2026) (Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary)
Birgitta Thorslund, Jenny Söderman, Erik Marsja, Helena Selander (2026) Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol. 119, Article 103608 (Article in journal)
Marianna Antoniadou, Helena Orädd, Aseel Berglund, Erik Berglund, Anna Strömberg, Tiny Jaarsma, Leonie Klompstra (2026) JMIR Serious Games, Vol. 14, Article e78776 (Article in journal)
Rogier Woltjer, Amy Rankin, Ellen Ekström, Victor Carl Dan Sjölin, Joris Field (2026) Safety Science, Vol. 199, Article 107191 (Article in journal)

About the department