Parasympathy
2020
“The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for intense physical activity and is often referred to as the fight-or-flight response. The parasympathetic nervous system has almost the exact opposite effect and relaxes the body and inhibits or slows many high energy functions”
Will the kinetic and adaptive architecture be able to convey information about the feeling, thoughts, and activities of users within the space and address problems of cognition or mood? By collecting neurological data, how can smart environments measurably improve the well-being of occupants by autonomously responding to their anxiety or depression in the form of changing the light and color of the space? Through this interconnected world of human, mind-expanding technologies, and sensory environments, how could the built environment extend the mind and body and how could the mind affect the built environment in real-time? How will people's desires and fears manifest themselves in space?
Parasympathy is an interactive installation that initiates a dialogue between physical space and the emotional state of the people. It creates a cyber-physical sensory environment that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to detect Human emotions from physiological data in real-time and to translate these data into environmental changes (i.e., adaptable colored lighting) that adequately respond to Human emotions. Researchers have explored colors’ effects on Human’s moods, physiological responses, and cognitive performances. Parasympathy is a tiled wall, consists of four 4 ft. x 8 ft. wooden panels where a kinetic series of reflective tiles fold and fluctuate in a calculated rhythm, producing a hypnotizing spectacle of color and pattern akin to the northern lights. The kinetic colored lighting modules create different lighting effects that impact the moods of the user. Using a non-obtrusive wearable device, biophysical data (i.e., blood volume pulse, galvanic skin response, and skin temperature) is gathered and analyzed. Our machine learning algorithm interprets the data into emotional categories i.e., happiness, sadness, or distress. The wall is then calibrated to actively respond to this data in the form of changing patterns, colors, and forms that are indicative of the user’s emotional state. An Android and iPhone app is designed to connect the data from wearable to the server and communicate with interactive installation.
