Yasith Samaradivakara

Freestyle Technologist & HCI Researcher

I am an HCI Researcher & Engineer at the Augmented Human Lab at National University of Singapore, where I build intelligent wearables and interfaces that unlock and augment human potential. My research sits at the crossroads of Assistive Augmentations, Human-Computer Interaction, and Artificial Intelligence. When I’m not geeking out over tech, you’ll find me playing Cricket.

Vision

I envision a future where humans and AI co-create systems that evolve with users, forming a symbiotic relationship that augments each other’s potential in a cyclic process of mutual improvement.

Current Work: Creating Proactive, Context-Aware Smart Headphones Embodied with Multimodal AI Agents for People with Blind and Low Vision to Seamlessly Access Visual Information.

Education and Experience

Research Engineer (Previously Intern)

Augmented Human Lab, NUS

Nov 2022 - Present

Engineering Internship

Huawei, Thailand

Sep 2022

Teaching Assistant

University of Colombo School of Computing

Jun 2023 - Dec 2023

Undergraduate, B.Sc (Hons) in Computing

University of Colombo School of Computing

GPA : 3.97/4.0

Remote Research Collaborator

Cardiff University

July 2023

Software Engineer (Part-time)

PeachIT

Oct 2020 - Sep 2021

Software Engineer

StredgeTech Solutions

May 2018 - Aug 2020

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.

Hatthini

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

ICOAE

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

Kavy

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

SpeechAssist

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

GutFeel Hatthini

Wearable technology for sensing and influencing gut feelings through real-time monitoring and feedback.

Affective Sign Language Translator

Sign language-to-voice translator incorporating emotional context and affective states.

Teacher Transfer

First official Sri Lankan mobile e-government initiative to automate the teacher transfer process.

Hith

A telemedicine platform enhancing therapist-patient interactions for more effective remote consultations.

IBiZ

Comprehensive ERP system integrating finance, HR, SCM, and CRM for seamless business management.

Bright REDD

A cyber threat and risk assessment tool designed to enhance security for companies in Brisbane, Australia.

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

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

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

In Review

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