Yasith Samaradivakara

Freestyle Technologist & HCI Researcher

I am an incoming graduate student at the MIT Media Lab, where I will be advised by Prof. Pattie Maes, working on the future of human augmentation through technology. Previously, I was a Researcher and Engineer at the Augmented Human Lab at the National University of Singapore under the mentorship of Prof. Suranga Nanayakkara, where I developed intelligent wearables and multimodal interfaces.

My work spans Wearable Technology, Multimodal AI, Accessibility, and Human Cognition. Through my research, I explore questions under themes such as: • How can we use technology to help people augment human capabilities and realize their full potential? • How can we use technology to help people better understand themselves and the world around them?

I envision a future where technology amplifies what makes us human. Apart from computers, I love sports, books, and numbers.

Education and Experience

Graduate Student

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

June 2025

Research Engineer

Augmented Human Lab, NUS

Nov 2022 - June 2025

Engineering Internship

Huawei, Thailand

Sep 2022

Undergraduate

University of Colombo School of Computing

GPA : 3.97/4.0

Software Engineer

PeachIT & StredgeTech Solutions

May 2018 - Sep 2021

GitHub Campus Expert & Microsoft Ambassador

May 2020 - Present

Selected Projects

SeEar

A low-cost AR device with localized real-time captions tailored to enhance the educational experience of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students.

AiSee

AI-powered companion for people with visual impairments to independently access visual information.

Mirai

Wearable AI system with an integrated camera, real-time speech processing, and personalized voice-cloning to provide proactive and contextual nudges for positive behavior change.

Hatthini

Conversational companion for emotional regulation, using AI to assist users in managing emotions effectively.

Kavy

Conversational AI agent designed to foster language-speaking skills and build self-confidence.

ICOAE

Wristband and mobile app for health monitoring and emergency handling, designed for elderly individuals.

SpeechAssist

Mobile app designed to support advanced stammering treatments such as Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF).

Publications

SeEar: Tailoring Real-time AR Caption Interfaces for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Students in Specialized Educational Settings

CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2024
Yasith Samaradivakara, Thavindu Ushan, Asela Pathirage, Prasanth Sasikumar, Kasun Karunanayaka, Chamath Keppitiyagama, Suranga Nanayakkara

View PDF Video

Mirai: A Wearable Proactive AI "Inner-Voice" for Contextual Nudging

CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2025
Cathy Mengying Fang, Yasith Samaradivakara, Pattie Maes, Suranga Nanayakkara

View PDF

EMO-KNOW: A Large Scale Dataset on Emotion-Cause

Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP, 2023
Mia Nguyen, Yasith Samaradivakara, Prasanth Sasikumar, Chitralekha Gupta, Suranga Nanayakkara

View PDF

Kavy: Fostering Language Speaking Skills and Self-Confidence Through Conversational AI

Proceedings of the Augmented Humans International Conference, 2024
Sankha Cooray, Chathuranga Hettiarachchi, Vishaka Nanayakkara, Denys Matthies, Yasith Samaradivakara, Suranga Nanayakkara

View PDF

Catch that Butterfly: Detecting and Simulating Gut Feelings with Gut-Brain Interface

Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2024
Mia Huong Nguyen, Kian Peen Yeo, Yasith Samaradivakara, Suranga Nanayakkara

View PDF

ARTeacher: Tailored Real-time AR Captioning Interface for Enhancing Learning Experience of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Students

International Journal of Human Computer Interaction, 2024
Yasith Samaradivakara, Thavindu Ushan, Asela Pathirage, Prasanth Sasikumar, Kasun Karunanayaka, Chamath Keppitiyagama, Suranga Nanayakkara

In Review