Hi, I’m Emma

Founder, researcher, dreamer, and mother of two. I design and create emotional technologies that foster meaningful relationships between humans, robots, and AI.

My research focuses on touch technology in human-AI and human-robot interaction, and affective computing. I explore how our sense of touch can enhance digital interactions among people and deepen emotional engagement with AI agents and social robots. My work bridges engineering, design, and emotion.

I’m best known for Kissenger, a device that lets people send real-time remote kisses through the internet. It’s been featured on BBC, Huffington Post, WTOP News, and IEEE Spectrum, and exhibited at international events like Ars Electronica, CeBit, and major museums in London, Ireland and Germany. I’ve published research articles, co-authored Human-Robot Intimate Relationships, and built hardware and software products that connect people in the physical world.

My story has been far from the conventional paths taken by many. I’ve lived and worked across China, Singapore, Malaysia, London, Japan and Australia, navigating academia, startups, and industry. I’m not afraid to defy norms, or embrace change. I’ve had many highs and lows, made mistakes, and faced failures. Now I’m embarking on a journey to rediscover my North Star—the dream that has always guided my passion: to create something that will truly make an impact in the world. Something meaningful and human.

Now, I’m building my next chapter with KissengerAI, Reject & Publish, and a growing community of people who believe that technology can be intimate, emotional, and deeply human. I’m creating things that not only touch people’s skin, but also touch their emotions.

Follow me to join me on this journey.