People tend to synchronize heart rates, breathing and neuralrhythms during intimate physical contact and emotional exchange.This synchronization in turn enhances our mutual feelings of socialconnectedness [1]. In a world of rising remoteinteractions, we have less chance for in-person interactions thatprecondition socially-induced synchronization. We were motivatedby previous research that uses VR as an alternative method to augmentcognition, such as [2] that uses EDA datato modify the VR environment in real-time to help with relaxation.Other examples include using VR for social phobia [3] and empathy [4]. We were also inspired by previous work that aims to use external cues to influence behavior,such as using light changes to influence breathing and increasingfocus [5], and were informed byprevious research that has discovered the capability of brainwavesto synchronize with external stimuli [6]. In ourwork, we used visual rhythms to influence the users’ brainwave ina cross-person VR environment.
The experience is set in a fictional landscape that dynamically reacts to real-time brainwave data, resulting in a visualization of the partner user’s internal mind state. The semi-defamiliarizing landscape is nestled amidst a sweeping expanse of billowy clouds, a mesmerizing starry sky, and reflective stones that subtly alters the surrounding scenery as the viewer strolls through the landscape.
Based on common narratives about the psychology of colors, we assigned a main hue to each dominate brainwave band to strengthen their influence towards the corresponding mental states. Higher activeness would increase warm colors while higher relaxation would increase cold colors in the scene elements.
A glowing orb embodies the center of energy, emitting fleeting threads of thought visible as illuminated trails. Overhead, large lanterns pulsate in synchrony with the dominant brainwave frequency, providing rhythmic visual cues to influence the viewer’s brainwave frequency. The hue of these 3D elements changes in response to the dominant brainwave band. The ambience fog appears in a mix of colors as the partner user transitions from one mental state to another, creating a liminal space where the viewer can observe the past and present mental states converging in a hypnotic dance of colors and shapes, carrying the interconnectedness of our thoughts and experiences. Colorful dust-like particles float in the air, creating an ambience of dispersed and nuanced thoughts that exist consistently beyond our dominant mental state.
The viewer’s own dominant brainwave is faintly represented in the color of the fog flowing in the far backdrop, allowing them to be subtly aware of the divergence and convergence between themselves and their partner user. If both users’ dominant brainwaves synchronize, a shooting star appears across the sky. If their brainwaves synchronize for more than 8 seconds, small bursts of flowers will be triggered from underneath their feet, celebrating their connection. The experience is brought to life using Muse Headbands, VR headsets and projectors.
At a high level the project promotes reflections around the potential of emerging technologies like VR in fostering tele-present interpersonal connections without the common interactive modalities like speech and how the usage of biometric data could add to the channels of communication and help improve accessibility.
References
[1] Rollin McCraty. 2017. New Frontiers in Heart Rate Variability and Social Coherence Research:Techniques, Technologies, and Implications for Improving Group Dynamicsand Outcomes. In Frontiers in Public Health. Vol. 5.
[2] Judith Amores, Anna Fuste, Robert Richer and Pattie Maes. 2019. Deep reality. In ACMSIGGRAPH 2019 Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality.
[3] Cristiane Gebara, Tito Barros-Neto, Leticia Gertsenchtein, and Francisco Lotufo-Neto.2015. Virtual reality exposure using three-dimensional images for the treatment ofsocial phobia. In Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria. Vol. 38, No. 1, 24–29.
[4] Konstantina Kilteni, Raphaela Groten, and Mel Slater. 2012. The Sense of Embodimentin Virtual Reality. In Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. Vol. 21, No.4, 373–387.
[5] Asma Ghandeharioun and Rosalind Picard. 2017. BrightBeat. In Proceedings of the2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems- CHI EA ’17.
[6] Udo Will and Eric Berg. 2007. Brain wave synchronization and entrainment to periodicacoustic stimuli. In Neuroscience Letters. Vol. 424, No. 1, 55–60.
