Yafira Martinez is a design engineer and creative technologist with a background in computer science and a master's degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). Her work sits at the intersection of physical computing, embedded systems, and interface design, building interactive devices and experiences that attend to the material qualities of technology: its texture, form, and the way objects feel in the hands of the people using them. She is particularly interested in soft and calm approaches to computing, and her practice often incorporates e-textiles and soft electronics as a way of making technology more approachable, expressive, and human.
Yafira is a passionate advocate for open source tools and their role in expanding access to creative technology, experimentation, and knowledge sharing. She believes that good engineering and genuine curiosity belong in the same room, and her practice reflects that: pairing strong technical foundations with unconventional, tactile, and carefully crafted user experiences.
When she’s not making, you’ll find her tinkering with e-textiles, sketching ideas, experimenting in the kitchen, taking photos, playing chess, or hunting down beautifully designed snack packaging (and eating what’s inside). She is driven by curiosity, hands-on exploration, and always crafting something new, including over at @electrocutelab.