Cardiovascular Data Companions

Sebastian Buys

Cardiovascular Data Companions is an experiment in engaging people with their cardiovascular data through visceral interactive objects.

http://www.sebastianbuys.net/itp-thesis



The goal of my project is to engage people with their cardiovascular data through visceral interactive objects. The prototype I’m developing is an amorphous object with a life force that’s linked to that of its user. The project is built on top of an existing heart rate exercise tracking application, Nike+, and pulls the user’s cardiovascular data (BPM readings) from the app. Extrapolating from Nike+ data, each object provides a simulation of its user’s cardiovascular function during exercise, allowing the user to replay his/her body's response to a workout. The object materializes and embodies the user's cardiovascular function under exercise stress - providing biofeedback to the user in sensorily rich and empathetic ways. When an object is picked up by its user, it mimics the prominent human physiological response to physical stress - increased heart rate and force of contraction and increased depth and rate of breathing. The visceral interaction is meant to induce something like a meditate state, where users re-engage with the often invisible, autonomic rhythms of their bodies.