Martijn ten Bhömer

I build bridges: from academic theory to commercial products, and from intricate designs to real-world manufactured products. 💡

As an Associate Professor in the Department of Arts and Design at the University of Macau, my research is grounded in Research through Design, focusing on smart textiles 👕, wearable technology, and embodied interaction for health and wellbeing. My work has been published at venues including ACM DIS, TEI, and CHI, and in journals such as The Design Journal and the International Journal of Design, supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

Bridging research and industry, I’m the co-founder and former CTO of femooi: an iF Award-winning skincare technology company where I led a multidisciplinary R&D team, developed over 20 patents, and brought products from concept to mass production. My products have been exhibited at SXSW, the Swiss National Museum, and Dutch Design Week. My industry experience also includes roles at Microsoft Research, Deutsche Telekom, Bambi Medical, and OMsignal.

My journey has taken me from a PhD in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology 🇳🇱, through years in Suzhou, China at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), to my current home in Macau 🇲🇴. Outside the lab, you’ll find me exploring on two wheels. 🚲

Selected Publications

Soft Central: A Smart Textile E-Health System for Collaborative Aging in Place

Zhaowei Cui, Martijn ten Bhömer, Zhen Wu, and 1 more author

In Proceedings of the 2026 International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD), 2026

Bib

@inproceedings{soft-central-smart-textile-ehealth,
  title = {Soft Central: A Smart Textile E-Health System for Collaborative Aging in Place},
  author = {Cui, Zhaowei and {ten Bhömer}, Martijn and Wu, Zhen and Sun, Jie},
  year = {2026},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2026 International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD)},
}

Design for emotional well-being: A body-centred interactive textile design approach

Mengqi Jiang, Vijayakumar Nanjappan, Martijn ten Bhömer, and 1 more author

The Design Journal, 2025

Bib

@article{design-for-emotional-wellbeing,
  title = {Design for emotional well-being: A body-centred interactive textile design approach},
  author = {Jiang, Mengqi and Nanjappan, Vijayakumar and {ten Bhömer}, Martijn and Liang, Hai-Ning},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {The Design Journal},
  publisher = {Routledge},
  pages = {1--33},
}

From monitoring to proactive healthcare: Cases exploring embodiment and AI in smart textile design

Martijn ten Bhömer, Qi Wang, Ziqian Bai, and 3 more authors

The Design Journal, Jun 2025

Abs DOI Bib PDF

This paper examines the integration of smart textiles and artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, focusing on the shift from monitoring to proactive interventions. Through a series of case studies, it identifies generic design challenges and opportunities for proactive healthcare applications and explores design qualities within Smart Textiles, Data & AI, and Embodiment to guide future practices. Findings emphasize the strategic integration of sensors within textile structures, enabling embodied feedback mechanisms, enhancing user engagement and acceptance. Additionally, the study underscores how participatory design approaches can foster long-term health behaviors, reduce burdens on healthcare systems, and enhance patient autonomy by actively involving users and healthcare professionals in the design process. While this work identifies new avenues for proactive and holistic healthcare solutions, it also addresses challenges related to AI-driven data handling, privacy, and ethical concerns, reinforcing the need for transparent, secure, and ethically responsible practices as these technologies advance.
@article{from-monitoring-to-proactive-healthcare, title = {From monitoring to proactive healthcare: Cases exploring embodiment and AI in smart textile design}, author = {{ten Bhömer}, Martijn and Wang, Qi and Bai, Ziqian and Jiang, Mengqi and Qu, Nianchong and Wu, Zhen}, year = {2025}, month = jun, journal = {The Design Journal}, publisher = {Routledge}, pages = {1--24}, doi = {10.1080/14606925.2025.2512320}, }
Customisable Lower Limb Rehabilitation Carpet for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Yaxuan Liu, Yijia An, Keming Zhang, and 4 more authors

In Companion Proceedings of the 2024 Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Oct 2024

Abs DOI Bib PDF

Cerebral Palsy (CP) affects motor coordination, resulting in slow walking and irregular step and stride lengths. Effective rehabilitation exercises are essential for strengthening leg muscles and enhancing mobility in children with CP. However, traditional hospital rehabilitation programs often lack engagement, making it challenging for children to maintain consistent participation. Additionally, many advanced lower extremity rehabilitation systems remain largely inaccessible. This study introduces an interactive gaming carpet combined with intelligent gait pattern analysis to enhance rehabilitation efforts. The gaming carpet employs visual and auditory cues to train leg coordination and correct stepping patterns, making the exercises more engaging for children. Meanwhile, the intelligent gait analysis system provides therapists with objective data to assess conditions and develop personalized exercise plans. Initial tests indicate that this system effectively engages children and improves adherence to rehabilitation exercises, while also providing accurate progress monitoring. This innovative approach demonstrates significant potential for integrating game-based interventions and data analysis into CP rehabilitation, offering practical solutions for both clinical and home-based settings.
@inproceedings{customisable-lower-limb-rehabilitation-carpet, title = {Customisable Lower Limb Rehabilitation Carpet for Children with Cerebral Palsy}, author = {Liu, Yaxuan and An, Yijia and Zhang, Keming and {ten Bhömer}, Martijn and Bu, Qinglei and Sun, Jie and Chen, Siyuan}, year = {2024}, month = oct, booktitle = {Companion Proceedings of the 2024 Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces}, location = {Vancouver, BC, Canada}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, series = {ISS Companion '24}, doi = {10.1145/3696762.3698050}, isbn = {9798400712784}, }