Dr Beste Özcan is the creator of the world's first Transitional Wearable Companions (TWC) concept, an award-winning smart wearable social companion designed for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Notable prototypes under this concept include PlusMe and X-8. For further information, please refer to the publications at IM-TWIN publications and the related videos at IM-TWIN videos. Additionally, Dr Özcan has developed bio-feedback wearables aimed at enhancing the social-emotional engagement of adults, such as Lokahi, details of which can be found here.She was recognized by Robohub in 2022 as one of the most successful women working in robotics.Since 2014, Dr. Özcan has been a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the National Research Council of Italy (ISTC-CNR). Her research contributions span three major projects: +me, PlusMe, and IM-TWIN. She is also the author of the book "H+ Design: Time, Space, Human, Machine."Dr. Özcan earned her PhD in Design and Innovation from Vanvitelli University (Second University of Naples). During her international PhD program, she collaborated as a visiting researcher at the University of Malaga and the University of Lisbon for one year. After completing her PhD, she collaborated with the University of Ramon Llull La Salle, Barcelona, and the University of Rome "Sapienza" for an additional year.Her primary research interests include social robotics, artificial intelligence, wearable computing, virtual reality, bio-feedback, and the social-emotional innovation fostered through human and machine hybridity.In addition to her academic pursuits, Dr. Özcan writes science fiction narratives and creates realistic dioramas, which can be viewed on Behance. She also organizes international workshops, such as "Design Against Taboo," in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, details of which are available here.
