Hi, my name is Zac Baylis
I am a designer, engineer, and artist, currently working out of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge in the UK. I hold a 1st Class Degree at an undergraduate level from Imperial College London in Design Engineering (MEng) and an MPhil in Engineering and Management from Cambridge with Distinction, where I ranked 1st in my cohort.
When I put pen to paper, I want it to translate data into tangible impact on a massive scale, so my designs help people and improve lives. This website is a collection of my favourite works over my design journey. A current focus on leveraging data analytics has driven me towards work within machine learning and AI, with a focus on human-centred interaction.
With each project, you will notice two sections: a product and a process. This divide is significant and deliberate. I am a strong believer that the design process is the most fundamental component of a design and, as such, should be detailed within any portfolio, as it is the process that demonstrates the potential of the designer.
Please enjoy as I attempt to take you along the design journey.
Relevance to Specific MIT Media Lab Groups
This portfolio showcases projects spanning robotics, AI-driven decision systems, human–computer interaction, haptics, assistive devices, and large-scale mobility design. Because my work is fundamentally about augmenting human capabilities through intelligently designed systems, several projects align simultaneously with multiple Media Lab groups. Below, I outline how each project connects to the research priorities of the Multisensory Intelligence, Cyborg Psychology, and Personal Robots groups, and why these works demonstrate my readiness to contribute to each group’s intellectual and technical trajectory.
CYBORG PSYCHOLOGY GROUP
“Human–AI futures, augmentation, psychological wellbeing, interpretability, and human flourishing”
“Human–AI futures, augmentation, psychological wellbeing, interpretability, and human flourishing”
Most relevant projects (as an aspiring Cyborg Engineer or Interface Designer):
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System (Cambridge + MIT)
DermaTrack (CNN-based medical imaging)
CF2000 (assistive MND shaver) – secondary
FLOAT (metamaterial mouthguard with impact analytics) – secondary
Why these projects fit:
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This project explicitly examines how augmented haptic feedback influences human performance, workload, and perception during teleoperation. It uses controlled within-subject experiments and statistical analysis to understand how humans respond to different symbolic haptic languages. This is tightly aligned with Cyborg Psychology’s interest in the psychology of human–AI interaction, experimental paradigms, and how interfaces shape cognition, behaviour, and wellbeing.
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This project explicitly examines how augmented haptic feedback influences human performance, workload, and perception during teleoperation. It uses controlled within-subject experiments and statistical analysis to understand how humans respond to different symbolic haptic languages. This is tightly aligned with Cyborg Psychology’s interest in the psychology of human–AI interaction, experimental paradigms, and how interfaces shape cognition, behaviour, and wellbeing.
DermaTrack
DermaTrack raises core Cyborg Psychology questions around trust, reliance, and interpretability of AI in healthcare. It investigates how AI-driven decision support might influence clinical pathways and patient outcomes, mapping directly onto themes of memory, judgement, and psychological responses to AI systems.
DermaTrack raises core Cyborg Psychology questions around trust, reliance, and interpretability of AI in healthcare. It investigates how AI-driven decision support might influence clinical pathways and patient outcomes, mapping directly onto themes of memory, judgement, and psychological responses to AI systems.
CF2000
The CF2000 explores assistive augmentation for people with significant motor impairment. It intersects with Cyborg Psychology’s interest in augmentation interfaces, autonomy, dependency, and how technology can support human flourishing rather than diminish agency.
The CF2000 explores assistive augmentation for people with significant motor impairment. It intersects with Cyborg Psychology’s interest in augmentation interfaces, autonomy, dependency, and how technology can support human flourishing rather than diminish agency.
FLOAT
FLOAT uses embedded sensing to inform safety and refereeing decisions in combat sports, with implications for risk perception, behaviour change, and psychological safety. It touches on how continuous quantitative feedback shapes human behaviour and decision-making in high-stakes environments.
FLOAT uses embedded sensing to inform safety and refereeing decisions in combat sports, with implications for risk perception, behaviour change, and psychological safety. It touches on how continuous quantitative feedback shapes human behaviour and decision-making in high-stakes environments.
PERSONAL ROBOTS GROUP
“Intelligent personified technologies that collaborate with people to help them learn, thrive, and flourish”
“Intelligent personified technologies that collaborate with people to help them learn, thrive, and flourish”
Most relevant projects:
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System (Cambridge + MIT)
DermaTrack (CNN-based medical imaging)
CF2000 (assistive MND shaver) – secondary
Nexus (shared autonomous transport system) – secondary
Why these projects fit:
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This work shows the ability to build robot control systems that collaborate with humans via intuitive smartphone interfaces. It positions the robot as a remote collaborator whose behaviour is sculpted through multimodal feedback. This aligns with the group’s interest in human–robot interaction, collaborative behaviour, and embodied intelligent systems that support human performance and learning.
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This work shows the ability to build robot control systems that collaborate with humans via intuitive smartphone interfaces. It positions the robot as a remote collaborator whose behaviour is sculpted through multimodal feedback. This aligns with the group’s interest in human–robot interaction, collaborative behaviour, and embodied intelligent systems that support human performance and learning.
CF2000
The CF2000 is an assistive device designed around accessibility, ergonomics, and user dignity for people with MND. It embodies many of the same principles as personal robots: person-centred design, embodied interaction, and support for everyday activities in a way that enhances autonomy and wellbeing.
The CF2000 is an assistive device designed around accessibility, ergonomics, and user dignity for people with MND. It embodies many of the same principles as personal robots: person-centred design, embodied interaction, and support for everyday activities in a way that enhances autonomy and wellbeing.
FLOAT
FLOAT operates as an intelligent safety and coaching companion for athletes, using embedded sensing and analytics to protect users and inform decision-making. This resonates with the group’s focus on systems that help people be healthier, safer, and more resilient.
FLOAT operates as an intelligent safety and coaching companion for athletes, using embedded sensing and analytics to protect users and inform decision-making. This resonates with the group’s focus on systems that help people be healthier, safer, and more resilient.
Nexus
Nexus is a speculative autonomous shared-transport system designed around inclusivity, safety, and system-level optimisation of user journeys. It demonstrates experience in multi-user interaction design, UX, and behaviour-informed service design. While not a robot per se, it reflects the same principles of designing intelligent, user-centred systems that interact with people over time and in complex real-world contexts.
Nexus is a speculative autonomous shared-transport system designed around inclusivity, safety, and system-level optimisation of user journeys. It demonstrates experience in multi-user interaction design, UX, and behaviour-informed service design. While not a robot per se, it reflects the same principles of designing intelligent, user-centred systems that interact with people over time and in complex real-world contexts.
MULTISENSORY INTELLIGENCE GROUP
“Human–AI symbiosis across scales and sensory mediums”
Most relevant projects:
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System (Cambridge + MIT)
DermaTrack (CNN-based medical imaging)
FLOAT (metamaterial mouthguard with impact analytics) – secondary
CF2000 (assistive MND shaver) – secondary
Why these projects fit:
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This project develops a full multisensory human–robot interaction stack: ROS Noetic control of a UR5e robot, smartphone-based symbolic haptic cues, and visual feedback via multi-camera perception. It studies how different haptic encodings affect teleoperation performance, workload, and cue recognisability. This aligns directly with the group’s focus on multisensory AI, human–AI symbiosis, and strong engineering foundations in sensing, interaction, and feedback design.
Teleoperation & Haptic Augmentation System
This project develops a full multisensory human–robot interaction stack: ROS Noetic control of a UR5e robot, smartphone-based symbolic haptic cues, and visual feedback via multi-camera perception. It studies how different haptic encodings affect teleoperation performance, workload, and cue recognisability. This aligns directly with the group’s focus on multisensory AI, human–AI symbiosis, and strong engineering foundations in sensing, interaction, and feedback design.
DermaTrack
DermaTrack uses convolutional neural networks for skin-lesion classification and links AI-based perception to human clinical decision-making. It illustrates how sensing, visual AI, and user experience can be integrated to augment human perception and diagnostic capability, consistent with the group’s interest in enhancing digital productivity and human capability with AI.
DermaTrack uses convolutional neural networks for skin-lesion classification and links AI-based perception to human clinical decision-making. It illustrates how sensing, visual AI, and user experience can be integrated to augment human perception and diagnostic capability, consistent with the group’s interest in enhancing digital productivity and human capability with AI.
FLOAT
FLOAT combines embedded sensors, microprocessing, and real-time impact analytics to infer head impacts for combat-sport athletes. It is relevant to Multisensory Intelligence as a sensor-rich system that turns physical signals into actionable information, contributing to performance, safety, and wellbeing.
FLOAT combines embedded sensors, microprocessing, and real-time impact analytics to infer head impacts for combat-sport athletes. It is relevant to Multisensory Intelligence as a sensor-rich system that turns physical signals into actionable information, contributing to performance, safety, and wellbeing.
CF2000
The CF2000 is an assistive shaving device for people with motor neurone disease, using an adaptive silicone-based gripping mechanism. It demonstrates an interest in tactile support, assistive ergonomics, and multisensory user experience for physically impaired users.
The CF2000 is an assistive shaving device for people with motor neurone disease, using an adaptive silicone-based gripping mechanism. It demonstrates an interest in tactile support, assistive ergonomics, and multisensory user experience for physically impaired users.
Future Aims
I believe that understanding people is the key to being a successful design engineer, and so I wish to pursue my interests in human-centred design, pushing boundaries in both physical and digital domains. I have a current affinity for optimising problems in user interactions and operations across product ownership, which is what I am pursuing in my graduate and professional career.