Ana Rajcevic

Interdisciplinary artist and research scientist Ana Rajcevic collaborates with Hugh Herr’s Biomechatronics Group to launch a groundbreaking investigation into new forms of embodiment—redefining human corporeality through the merging of neuroscience, robotics, animal physiology, and art. 

The project explores whether non-anthropomorphic, animal-inspired appendages—such as soft, flexible limbs modeled on octopus dynamics—can be integrated into the human body through advanced brain-machine interfaces, enabling both neural control and sensory feedback. It asks a radical question: Can we embody a non-anthropomorphic, animal-inspired appendage? And how might such hybrid bodies reshape our sense of self?

Rajcevic, whose practice centers on hybrid prosthetics and animal-like body augmentations, leads the design and fabrication of neurally controlled, non-anthropomorphic prostheses—each engineered to disrupt normative models of body representation and agency. The project merges artistic research with neurotechnologies to challenge scientific, cultural, and philosophical models of body schema and embodiment. It investigates whether radically unfamiliar morphologies can be embodied by human users—and how such forms might expand, distort, or redefine our experience of identity and agency.

The residency extends beyond laboratory research to engage the MIT community through public programs: lectures at the MIT Museum and the Media Lab, hands-on student workshops exploring hybrid prosthetics, and Embodied Movie Nights at Bartos Theater—screenings and dialogues around identity, transformation, and posthuman futures. These activities bridge academic inquiry with artistic exploration, making complex ideas about human augmentation accessible to diverse audiences.

The work positions MIT as a leader in exploring not only what bodies can do, but also what they can become in an era of rapid technological change. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across departments, including the Media Lab and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the project creates new frameworks for understanding embodiment and identity through the integration of art and science.

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Hugh Herr creates bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs. A double amputee himself, he is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope for those with physical disabilities. Herr is Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, an Associate Investigator within the MIT McGovern Institute, and a co-leader of the Yang Center for Bionics. He will serve as Principal Investigator of the project, providing research oversight.

Biography: MIT Media Lab

Ana Rajcevic is an artist, designer, research scientist, and lecturer specializing in hybrid prosthetics, external body appendages, and body augmentation devices. She works at the intersections of art, design, and technology, exploring the possibilities of augmenting and extending human appearance, cognition, and expression through biomimetic and non-anthropomorphic, animal-inspired designs. Her practice spans scientific research, installations, performances, and photo/video works, and has been exhibited internationally.

Biography: MIT Media Lab
Website: anarajcevic.com
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