{"id":17185,"date":"2026-06-09T10:13:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rixinclusiveresearch.org\/?post_type=together&p=17185"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:13:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:13:16","slug":"baby-dev-lab-reflections","status":"publish","type":"together","link":"https:\/\/www.rixinclusiveresearch.org\/uz\/together\/baby-dev-lab-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Dev Lab reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

RIX CAPA interns Ian Smith and Katie Brown visited the Baby Dev Lab at Stratford Campus to explore their innovative use of technology to support communication.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today was a great day, simple as that! I had my first Sign and Say<\/em><\/strong> session led by Ajay, met with Kanchan, Ifeoma, and the CAPA interns regarding wayfinding and the tactile paving, got organized with my initial research tasks for the project from DJ, and had a phenomenal visit to the Baby Lab! Today was one of those days where everything I am studying and curious about clicked into one place. We headed from the Docklands campus to the Stratford campus for a tour of the Baby Lab at the University of East London. I knew from the name it was going to be interesting, but it hit the intersection of what I am studying so well: neuroscience, health, and working with the human body, people, innovation, devices, etc..<\/p>\n

We arrived at the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY) and began exploring. We did not get a formal tour of the rehabilitation sciences, but I read about their musculoskeletal therapy clinic and sports-based wellbeing initiatives. Khushi and Katie were in heaven since they are rehab science majors. The entire institution is clearly focused on how early environments shape development, which is very similar to themes I am learning about at my university in the States.<\/p>\n

\"poster<\/a>
Understanding communication is at the heart of the research at the Baby Dev Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tilly Potter toured us around and was incredible – so personable and passionate about the work they are doing and showed us everything. Some of the rooms were boring, like the laundry, reception, control, and desktop rooms. But some of these labs blew my mind. The first room she showed us was the seminar room, which was currently being set up for synchronized reading research, measuring ECG, EEG, and arousal responses in adults and children. They use really cool equipment that captures the child\u2019s experience through cameras and microphones, and they run studies comparing indoor vs outdoor environments and play-based tasks. I recognized so many terms and tools: EEG caps, heart-rate variability, arousal measures, behavioral coding. On the flip side, I also saw the operational side of the structure, protocols, and the entire research process. We then moved towards the research classroom, which was half a preschool child area and half an observational side. Super cool. 360 cameras, one-way mirrors, sensors everywhere. Parents can come in with their children, and researchers observe natural play while collecting both behavioural and physiological data. It reminded me of the nursing simulation rooms we have at Providence College, the same idea to observe real interactions and human behaviour.<\/p>\n

\"mother<\/a>
Woman holding child, both wearing EEG caps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next, we moved into the neuroimaging lab where caregivers sit in one chair, an infant in another, both wearing EEG caps, and researchers observe facial expressions and look at synchronous brain activity between the two. The neuroscience of connection is studied here to look at long-term health outcomes. At the eye-tracking lab, we met a PhD student studying how children neurologically process screen media. The setup was so simple, but so nerdy. A target on the head, an eye-tracking camera, calibration tests, and real-time plots of where the child is looking. Her research asks the big question, \u201cAre children actually comprehending what they see on screens, or are they just drawn to the most salient features (color, flicker, movement)\u201d? I am intrigued to see the results for that too, as Hailey and I are focusing on the ADHD\/autism lens of inclusive higher education work at RIX, and I am sure there is notable overlap to explore.<\/p>\n

Finally, we went into the Imaginarium (AR\/VR room) where they run infants and toddlers through different virtual environments – real footage of malls, Tube stops, daycare centres, etc projected on all 4 walls of the room to immerse you in the place, all while measuring HR, EEG, and ECG to see how they respond to different sensory loads. They are studying engagement, arousal, overstimulation vs understimulation, and parent-child connection. Their work is almost a \u201cpre-req\u201d to some of the research that informs inclusive design, accessibility, and universal design, which is the work that makes RIX, RIX.<\/p>\n

I asked Tilly how their work connects to RIX, and she didn\u2019t know much about our institute, so I explained the person\u2011centered, multimedia advocacy, accessibility, and inclusion pillars we work with on the Docklands campus. The Baby Lab focuses on early years and RIX focuses on lived experience and inclusive research, but both centres are trying to understand people in context and design environments that support them. Change the environment, not the person. Hopefully, over the next few months or years, UEL merges all the research institutes to build something incredibly interdisciplinary!<\/p>\n

Ian Smith, CAPA intern<\/em><\/p>\n

\"baby<\/a>
Play area and research classroom in UEL’s Baby Dev Lab (\u00a9 Tom Joy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I found the baby lab to be very interesting. Something I noticed right away was the design of the space. I loved the use of blues, pinks, and greens. There was also a parking space for pushchairs or prams, which was endearing as well as functional. The lab is split into many different rooms. The first room we were shown is currently set up for an adult study. Typically, the lab does not run studies with adult participants. However, this was a special case. The researchers are utilizing EEGs and ECGs to monitor heart and brain activity. These devices are used on the young children that come into the lab. The researchers also showed us the new eye tracking technology that they acquired. The device is integrated into a pair of glasses. They have yet to use them, but plan to incorporate them into their projects soon.<\/p>\n

The next room on our tour was a play area for children. The lab has opened this space up during certain times for parents to bring their children, even if they are not participating in a study. They are using this opportunity to network for the purposes of gathering new participants for future research projects. This space is also used for studies, as there are one way mirrors on either side of the room for observation. There is a courtyard attached to this space that Tilly informed us is going to be renovated soon. The courtyard will be transformed into a play area, where the lab can study the effects of outdoor play.<\/p>\n

We were shown a similar observation room that was smaller than the playroom. Tilly told us that they conduct research with the children sitting in a highchair across from the parent at a table. They use their technology to assess the reactions of the child and the parent to see if they are similar.<\/p>\n

\"woman<\/a>
Woman holding child wearing EEG cap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final two rooms on our tour were the eye-tracking lab and the VR lab. We were shown a demonstration of the eye-tracking lab where one of the researchers was watching Bluey and we were able to see where on the screen his eyes were focused at any given moment. I found that technology very interesting. The action on the screen directly correlated with where the researcher was looking. I also enjoyed the VR lab. We were shown an example of the videos that young children and parents in the study would be shown. They were real scenes from various locations in London, such as the mall, a playground, a school, and a tube station. The researcher in charge of that study is going to start running real participants next week and is excited to explore brain activity and heart rate as a response to the stimuli. I am glad that I was able to tour the baby lab today. I am interested in child development, as well as research that looks into physiological responses. So, this was a beneficial experience to gain exposure to an active lab setting.<\/p>\n

Katie Brown, CAPA intern<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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