Clement Zheng

University of Colorado Boulder, National University of Singapore

Papers

Total Citations

137

H-Index

About

Clement Zheng is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of human-computer interaction, virtual reality, and robotic actuation. His work fundamentally reimagines how we physically interact with digital environments, moving beyond screens and controllers to create tangible, room-scale experiences. Zheng's most impactful contribution is **RoomShift** (2020, 117 citations), a groundbreaking system that uses a swarm of furniture-moving robots to deliver dynamic haptics in VR. By deploying Roombas equipped with scissor lifts, RoomShift can physically rearrange furniture in real-time, allowing users to feel walls, objects, and terrain that shift as they explore virtual worlds. This work bridges the gap between virtual and physical reality, opening new possibilities for immersive training, design, and entertainment. Zheng also explores computational thinking for children with **CodeAttach** (14 citations), critiquing the limitations of current educational kits. His latest work, **Wizard of Props** (2024), introduces a human-centered design workflow for prototyping responsive environments, blending physical props with mixed reality to design spaces that sense and react to human behavior. With a clear trajectory from foundational haptic systems to future-facing design methodologies, Zheng is shaping how we will inhabit and build the responsive environments of tomorrow.