WMT 2026: When Materials Think: Computational Materials for Mobile and Ubiquitous Interaction Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK, December 1, 2026

WMT 2026 - When Materials Think: Computational Materials for Mobile and Ubiquitous Interaction is a half-day, in-person workshop held in conjunction with the 25th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2026). The workshop explores computational materials that integrate sensing, local intelligence, actuation, and adaptive behavior, transforming matter into an active component of mobile and ubiquitous interaction.

WMT 2026 brings together researchers, designers, engineers, practitioners, and PhD students from HCI, ubiquitous computing, artificial intelligence, materials science, digital fabrication, biomedical engineering, robotics, aerospace engineering, and related fields. Through challenge-based discussions, participants will identify shared research questions, develop an interdisciplinary research agenda, and foster future collaborations.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• sensing and intelligent materials;
• responsive and programmable materials;
• human–material interaction and applications; and
• the design, fabrication, evaluation, and responsible development of computational materials.

Submission Guidelines

WMT 2026 invites submissions of 2–4 page Challenge Papers.

Rather than describing only completed research, submissions should present a significant challenge that cannot be adequately addressed within a single discipline. Contributions may introduce:

• an open research problem;
• a visionary or critical position;
• a preliminary concept or system;
• a methodological or evaluation limitation;
• an interdisciplinary case study; or
• preliminary technical or empirical results that reveal unresolved challenges.

Each submission should:

• clearly define the proposed challenge;
• situate it within its research or application context;
• explain its relevance to computational materials and human interaction;
• identify the limitations of existing approaches;
• formulate questions that would benefit from collective investigation;
• explain how interdisciplinary collaboration could help address the challenge; and
• briefly indicate the expertise the authors can contribute and the knowledge, methods, or collaborations they hope to develop through the workshop.

Submissions must be original and must not be simultaneously under review at another journal, conference, or workshop. Papers must be written in English and submitted in PDF format. All submissions will undergo peer review. Contributions do not need to be anonymized, and authors may retain identifying information in their manuscripts.

Submissions should follow the ACM submission template. References are not included in the 2–4 page limit.

More details will be announced on the workshop website.

Submissions must be made through the official WMT 2026 EasyChair submission page by October 10, 2026, at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth (AoE), UTC−12.

Submission instructions, templates, and further updates are available on the workshop website.

At least one author of each accepted paper must register for MUM 2026 and attend the workshop in person. Accepted Challenge Papers will serve as the basis for participant presentations, collaborative challenge mapping, interdisciplinary group work, and the development of a shared research roadmap.

Submissions will be selected according to their relevance to the workshop, clarity of the proposed challenge, potential to stimulate interdisciplinary discussion, and contribution to a balanced mix of disciplines, methods, career stages, application domains, and perspectives.

Important Dates

• Submission deadline: October 10
• Notification of acceptance: October 26
• Camera-ready submission: November 9
• Workshop: 1 December 2026

All deadlines are at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth (AoE), UTC−12.

Committees

Program Committee

The Program Committee will include reviewers with complementary expertise in human–computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, embedded artificial intelligence, materials science, digital fabrication, biomedical engineering, robotics, and aerospace engineering.

Organizing Committee

• Maria Antonella Messina, University of Enna “Kore”, Italy
• Sofia Marilina Glorioso, University of Enna “Kore”, Italy

Invited Speakers

• Tommaso Scalici, University of Enna “Kore”, Italy

Professor Scalici is a materials scientist and aerospace engineer whose research focuses on advanced composites, smart and multifunctional materials, experimental and fracture mechanics, structural integrity, sustainable composites, biomaterials, and aerospace structures. His invited talk will provide a materials-science perspective on how sensing, adaptive response, manufacturability, reliability, and structural performance can be integrated into materials designed to interact with people and their environments.

Venue

WMT 2026 will be held in person in Glasgow, United Kingdom, on 1 December 2026.

The workshop is part of the 25th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2026), which will take place from 1 to 4 December 2026. Workshops are scheduled for the first day of the conference, 1 December 2026.

The workshop room and detailed timetable will be announced following publication of the official MUM 2026 programme.

Contact

Questions about submissions or participation should be sent to:

• Maria Antonella Messina: mariaantonella.messina@unikorestudent.it
• Sofia Marilina Glorioso: sofiamarilina.glorioso@unikorestudent.it

Further information and updates are available on the workshop website:

https://wmt2026workshop.github.io/