The Utility Research Lab, directed by Michael Rivera, invents and investigates digital fabrication technology, tools and techniques that empower people to create things. We develop hardware, software and materials with a purpose—to advance science and engineering while positively impacting people, society and the environment. More information about the lab can be found on the lab website linked below. For inquiries, please email utilityresearchlab@gmail.com.  

utility research lab

Utility Research Lab website

Lab Director

Michael Rivera
Michael Rivera
Assistant Professor • HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION • DIGITAL FABRICATION
ATLAS Institute and Computer Science

Associated Researchers

Sandra Bae
Sandra Bae
PhD Student • INFORMATION VISUALIZATION, INFORMATION PHYSICALIZATION, INTERPLAY BETWEEN HUMAN, MACHINE & DATA
ATLAS Institute
Krithik Ranjan
Krithik Ranjan
PhD Student
ATLAS Institute

In the news

Flower pots 3D printed from spent coffee grounds
3D printing with coffee: Turning used grounds into caffeinated creations

Sept. 8, 2023

Utility Research Lab director Michael Rivera uses surprising materials to fabricate useful objects.

Touch sensing 3D printed node close up
Sandra Bae, ATLAS PhD Student, Awarded at VIS 2023

Aug. 30, 2023

Sandra Bae, PhD student and member of the Utility Research Lab and ACME Lab at ATLAS, has been honored with a Best Paper Honorable Mention at VIS 2023 for her research on network physicalizations. Billed as “the premier forum for advances in theory, methods and applications of visualization and visual...

DIS23 logo
16 Members of the ATLAS Community Present Groundbreaking Research on Human-Computer Interaction at ACM DIS 2023

July 5, 2023

ATLAS is well-represented at this year’s ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) 2023 conference convening at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from July 10-14, 2023. This year’s theme is resilience . "Resilience is at once about flexibility, durability, and strength as well as a sense of mutuality and hope where solidaristic...

IDC conference logo
ATLAS Members Explore Childhood Play and Learning Through Interactive Design at IDC 2023

June 19, 2023

11 ATLAS community members have contributed to work featured at the 22nd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference to be held on June 19-23, 2023 at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. IDC is the premier international conference for researchers, educators and practitioners to share the latest research findings,...

illustration of AI interactivity
ATLAS affiliates receive seed grants to study AI-augmented learning

May 24, 2023

The Engineering Education and AI-Augmented Learning Interdisciplinary Research Theme awarded multiple seed grants this spring to help spur research teaming in the college and boost early projects with the high potential for societal impact, including to several ATLAS Institute affiliates.