1_Executive Summary
The project proposes a design that connects a galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor with a resonance speaker attached to a basin, resulting in the vibration of the water surface (cymatics) to visualize the user’s emotions. As GSR sensor numbers depend on many factors, such as emotions, heart rate, and hydration, the result numbers vary from person to person: Normalizing the number to a specific emotional state is impractical. Instead, the project mapped the GSR sensor’s numbers to the prototype’s working resonance frequency. The result is a spectrum of an individual’s emotional changes, which can be observed in the starting pattern and the shift from more waves to calmer water. The prototype was tested on a small scale, but the project can transform into a public installation where the water vibration distorts the sky reflection in different patterns, allowing passersby to interact collectively.
2_Introduction, including context and motivations
Public space is not just a physical place for social interaction and exposure to nature but also a platform for an internal journey, where individuals can explore their emotions and thoughts. This academic project aims to explore the elements/interventions/designs that can encourage self-awareness in public spaces.
The project sees the relationship between emotion, nature, and public space as a cybernetic system where the action and feedback relation run simultaneously. The machine will complete the loop by way of emotions also affecting nature after nature influences our emotions.
3_Local Interactions
Envision a scenario wherein an individual takes a solitary stroll in a park, deeply contemplating their past experiences and future prospects. While continuing their walk, they become cognizant that they have been excessively preoccupied with their thoughts and must concentrate on the present moment to attain tranquility and inner peace. The prototype was created to facilitate an intimate scale interaction, with the design aiming to visualize the user’s emotional state during meditation and self-realization activities. This product is intended for use by one person at a time, with the data being anonymous and not subject to collection.
4_Technologies Used
GSR, short for Galvanic Skin Response, also known as Electrodermal Activity (EDA), is a technique employed to measure the electrical conductance of the skin. When an individual experiences intense emotions, it can stimulate their sympathetic nervous system, resulting in a greater secretion of sweat by the sweat glands. By attaching two electrodes to two fingers on one hand, GSR can identify such strong emotions.
Documentation of the sensor could be found at https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Grove-GSR_Sensor/
5_Write Up on the Pilot
Site, Considerations, Motivations
The ideal location for this new kind of public intervention would be an outdoor space surrounded by natural environments, such as a park or a lawn. The underlying concept is to establish a novel form of public engagement that is easily accessible, akin to a public fountain. The open surface of the installation would collect rainwater and reflect the sky, thereby creating a dynamic interplay between the environment and the viewers’ emotional states.
For this particular project, a small-scale prototype has been developed, taking into consideration the available time and resources at hand. The prototype is designed to be portable and can be easily carried by the user, as it does not require a specific location for operation.
Methodologies
Our actuator, the resonance speaker, lacks a diaphragm and aims to surpass the limitations of conventional speaker acoustics by transmitting vibrations to a connected surface. Our experimental methodology involved affixing the speaker to various water containers, which revealed that optimal outcomes were achieved with hard and thin materials. However, the frequency required to manifest cymatic effects is dependent on factors such as container size, shape, and type. As a result, we identified a thin but rigid plastic container that produced the best results for creating an object and subsequently conducted further experiments to determine the appropriate frequency for resonance given the modified conditions of the overall object.
The GSR sensor detects values ranging from 0 to 1032 ohms, while the frequency that resonates with the water basin falls within the range of 260-460 Hz, with a peak at 360 Hz. To accurately display the progression from calm water (without cymatics) to the most intense wave, we mapped the GSR sensor values to a range of 250-360 speaker frequency.
Results
The resulting output is a prototype of an object scaling instrument. The data is converted into waves and subsequently dispersed with the water, without being gathered for further analysis.
Figure7: The water move when the users touch the metal button
Figure8: The completed prototype
Lessons Learned
The loudness of a speaker is directly proportional to the amount of power it receives. However, the Arduino’s output power is limited to 5V and 20 mA (0.1 W) maximum, whereas the resonant speaker employed here has a power capacity of 20W. In order to increase the volume of the speaker, an amplifier must be added to the system to deliver more power to the speaker.
Integrating an amplifier enables us to amplify the sound waves in a larger body of water, thereby enabling us to create a larger-scale installation. This, in turn, opens up new possibilities for social interaction, allowing more than two users to engage with the installation. Additionally, by increasing the power of the speaker, we can move water with frequencies outside the resonance frequency range, producing different water patterns that can enhance the user-object interaction experience.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that higher power also translates to louder sound. Therefore, this effect should be taken into consideration during further investigations.
6_Urban Interactions
If a city were to integrate machines into public furniture, such as fountains or ponds, it could become a place for individuals to learn about themselves. This innovation could also serve as a tool for social interaction, facilitating engagement with more than two users and potentially evolving into a new collective activity. For instance, it could function as a playground where users compete with the waves they generate or as a therapy group where individuals help each other heal. However, further design and experimentation are needed to fully realize these possibilities.
Furthermore, collecting anonymous data to gauge people’s emotions in a specific node could be advantageous for urban designers. This information could bring previously unseen and abstract data into consideration. Nonetheless, a challenge would be accurately interpreting the GSR sensor data, as it can vary significantly depending on the user’s health, body activity, hydration, and other factors.