Stefan Agamanolis

Technical researcher and engineer, Stefan Agamanolis from Ohio, USA, is Chief-Executive of Distance Lab. He tells us why Scotland is the perfect place for his research centre

"I was one of the founding research directors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab Europe in Dublin," Stefan said. "After that lab closed about two years ago, I came to Scotland to look into creating a new research group in the Highlands."

The Distance Lab is a research institute which creates new technology to overcome the problems of distance.

"It makes sense for Distance Lab to be in Scotland; it’s the perfect environment to work and it's a great place to do research. If it wasn't for Highlands and Islands Enterprise, who developed the lab with me, I would not be here now.

"This part of Scotland is more rural and dispersed, but the payback is the beautiful landscapes and the freshness of the air that you don't get in the city."

Stefan feels that having Distance Lab in a more remote area is not a problem. "At the moment we are quite small because the Lab has just started. There are four of us but it's growing. I hope to have 8-10 people working at the Lab by the end of the year. Over time, Distance Lab will be distributed in multiple locations in the Highlands and Islands. Some day I also hope to have offices in different countries, in France, Scandinavia, the Canary Islands, for example."

Stefan wants to develop solutions to overcome the disadvantages of distance for families and older people. He says, "For example, older people living in the countryside are too far away from their families to see them often. I would love to find a way to help connect extended families in a richer way. I want to create technology to foster a greater sense of togetherness."

Stefan's favourite project so far with the lab is Highland Exposure.

"This was a digital photography competition and exhibition in which people were invited to submit their impressions of 'distance' in the contemporary Highlands and Islands.

"All 800 photos submitted were displayed on a wall, with a number and barcode under each one. Visitors could scan a barcode and find out more about the photo. There was a special telephone where visitors could leave a voice message for the photographer. I think it's a nice way to reduce the distance between author and audience in art exhibitions," said Stefan.

"We also had the ‘Distance No Object’ event in June, where the public could come and see our research projects. One of our colleagues from MIT in the USA presented the Huggable, which is a robotic teddy bear that can interact with people. The labs were open for guests to come in and we had a full house of people."

"There are certain things that are similar between the Highlands and the part of Ohio where I grew up. People mainly use cars to get around, you can find fresh local produce in the grocery stores and the land is similar, so coming to Scotland was not such a big leap for me.

Stefan fulfilled an ambition when he came to Scotland.  He says, "One of my biggest ambitions was to have my own research lab – and now I do! I would love Distance Lab to have a significant and positive impact in the world.  I really enjoy thinking about the future, what’s coming next, what’s possible, what humans can invent to solve problems!"

Related Links

• Distance Lab
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise