What We Research, Design, and Develop

Nurobodi's research sits at the intersection of four interconnected fields. Each informs the others, and together they form a coherent, human-centred approach to understanding and designing emotionally intelligent systems.

Featured Research Projects

SonoChroma — Affective Interaction Prototype

SonoChroma is a live interactive prototype demonstrating Nurobodi's sonochromatic interaction design research — the computational expression of the same sound-colour-resonance principles underlying our affective environment work and vocal resonance practice.

Each keystroke generates both a musical tone and a corresponding colour response in real time, creating a direct mapping between language, sound, and visual affect. Users can shape playback mode, tonal centre, reverb, and harmonic structure — exploring how different sonic and chromatic combinations produce distinct emotional and perceptual responses.

SonoChroma demonstrates a core principle of Nurobodi's research: that affect is not abstract. It is measurable, designable, and — with the right frameworks — computable.

AMBER — Responsible AI & Explainable AI Design

"Cy envisioned and delivered a chatbot prototype that not only assisted users in understanding ethical principles but also facilitated transparent, explainable AI decisions — a critical advance in human-centred design." — Dr. Justine Lacey, Research Director, Responsible Innovation, CSIRO

AMBER was a pioneering research and development project addressing the core challenge of responsible AI deployment: how do you design AI systems that are transparent, accountable, and genuinely useful to the humans working alongside them?

In collaboration with CSIRO's Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform, Data61, and RMIT University's College of Design and Social Context, Nurobodi designed and developed an ethical AI chatbot prototype fine-tuned on international standards for responsible innovation. The prototype's dual-model interface placed human judgement at the centre of AI interaction — presenting two distinct outputs simultaneously and inviting users to critically compare, evaluate, and integrate them. This "human in the loop" design wasn't just a feature. It was the argument.

"Cy's ability to synthesise complex ideas from our multidisciplinary teams at CSIRO, Data61 and RMIT was instrumental in the development of fine-tuning the base models we were working with. His work went beyond merely addressing the project's immediate goals — he explored possibilities that could influence future industry standards for ethical AI applications." — Dr. Justine Lacey, Research Director, Responsible Innovation, CSIRO

The methodologies developed through AMBER — comparative model evaluation, ethical fine-tuning, XAI interface patterns, human-centred AI dialogue design — have since become foundational requirements. The EU AI Act (2024) now mandates explainability for high-risk AI systems. US Executive Orders require AI transparency and safety measures. Organisations worldwide are implementing responsible AI frameworks. What AMBER demonstrated experimentally in 2022 is now regulatory necessity.

Nurobodi's ongoing R&D continues this trajectory, with current focus on White Box/Black Box causal loop analysis in affective AI systems — examining how transparent and opaque AI architectures interact in emotionally sensitive contexts.

CSIRO Partnerships & Research Development

The challenge: How do we design AI systems that are not only functional but transparently ethical, explainable, and centered on human agency?

Nurobodi has been conducting research in collaboration with CSIRO ChatGPT’s launch in 2022 from GPT-3 to GPT-5+, Claude, and beyond. Core challenges continued to be addressed are— transparency, accountability, ethical deployment—are now mandated by regulation (EU AI Act, US Executive Orders) and industry standard practice.

Nurobodi's relationship with CSIRO spans two distinct engagements — both centred on the challenge of designing AI systems that serve human values rather than undermine them.

The AMBER project (2022-2023) established Nurobodi as a serious contributor to responsible AI research, working directly with CSIRO's Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform and Data61 on XAI design methodologies. As a CSIRO Innovate to Grow alumnus (2025), Nurobodi subsequently developed its research commercialisation strategy within a health-tech industry framework, under the supervision of a senior CSIRO research scientist and SME advisor. This program deepened both research methodology and pathways for translating affective computing research into applied industry outcomes — and reinforced Nurobodi's positioning at the intersection of rigorous research and commercial application.

"I am keen to see where Cy's and Nurobodi’s work will lead to valuable insight, innovations and contributions that will resonate across both industry, academic and policy domains." — Dr. Justine Lacey, Research Director, Responsible Innovation, CSIRO

Research Infrastructure & Post-Graduate Work Integrated Learning (WIL)

Nurobodi operates as an active R&D practice, currently supervising postgraduate research interns from the University of Melbourne, UNSW, and Monash University through partnership with CareerDC's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program. This industry-academic model — approved and validated by CareerDC as a formal industry partner — bridges university research training with real-world R&D contexts.

Intern research at Nurobodi spans a wide range of disciplines:

• UX applications for digital wellbeing and therapeutic contexts

• Affective AI methodologies and emotion recognition systems

• Paralinguistic vocal pattern analysis for emotional state mapping

• Sound-colour resonance frameworks and sonochromatic interaction design

• Multidisciplinary research methods spanning design, psychology, and technology

This structure ensures Nurobodi's research stays connected to both cutting-edge academic training and industry application — while contributing to the development of the next generation of researchers in affective computing and human-centred AI design.

Consulting Services

At Nurobodi, we offer tailored services that integrate emotional intelligence, ethical frameworks, and cutting-edge design to create meaningful relationships between humans and AI across industry contexts.

Research-Informed Consulting

For organisations developing emotionally intelligent AI systems, affective UX, or human-centred voice technologies, Nurobodi offers specialised consulting that bridges research rigour with practical implementation. Our work is informed by active research, institutional partnerships, and over eight years of applied practice at the intersection of design, technology, and human experience.

Credentials and Affiliations

• RMIT University — Design Researcher & Sessional Lecturer, College of Design and Social Context (2018–present)

• CSIRO — Research Collaborator; Innovate to Grow Alumnus (2025)

• AMBER Project — Lead UX Design Researcher & Development Supervisor, CSIRO / Data61 / RMIT (2022)

• CareerDC — Approved R&D Industry Partner; postgraduate Work Integrated Learning supervisor (University of Melbourne, UNSW, Monash University)

• Generation AI Startup Accelerator Program - 2025 Alumni

• Asia Pacific Ci2017 'Human Intelligence 2.0' Scholarship — One of nine Australian startups selected

• IICT — Executive Member, International Institute of Complementary Therapies

Let's Work Together

For Research Collaborators & Academic Partners:

Nurobodi is selectively exploring research partnerships and collaboration opportunities in affective computing, responsible AI, and conversational dynamics. If you're working in adjacent research areas and see potential for collaboration — whether through joint projects, dataset partnerships, or research supervision — we'd welcome a conversation.

For Organisations & Enterprise Clients:

If you're developing emotionally intelligent AI systems, affective UX, voice-based products, or human-centred interaction design — our research-informed consulting brings both academic rigour and practical implementation expertise to your project.