SOFT MODE / EMBODIED AI / 2026
FILM/SOFT MODE
01
ORIGIN
SOFT MODE began at the MIT Hardmode Hackathon as an experiment in treating physical form as input. Instead of prompting intelligence with words, we asked whether a person could sculpt intention directly into clay — and whether a system could learn to read that form.
02
WHY FORM
It holds memory of touch, pressure, force, hesitation and intention. It is information in a physical state.
WE STILL PROGRAM
IN WORDS.
Language compresses human intent, but it is not the only way we express it.
What if physical form could be read, interpreted, and transformed by intelligence?
03
SYSTEM
A system for shaping what intelligence reads, interprets and becomes.
05
TRAINING
What if physical form could be read, interpreted, and transformed by intelligence?
05 / RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
Softmode investigates clay as an input modality, a functional material system, and an embodied output medium for human–AI interaction.
INPUT
SEMANTIC INTERACTION THROUGH SHAPE
MATERIAL
ADVANCED CLAY-BASED MATERIAL SYSTEM
OUTPUT
SIMULATED SHAPE-CHANGING MATERIAL
08 / FROM THE RESEARCH STREAM
Selected posts from @softmode.ai
Enter the Language
Enter the Language
Enter the Language
SCAN / OBJECT
An interface forms around an intention.
SCAN / OBJECT
An interface forms around an intention.