From Biodata to Somadata

Abstract

Biosensing technologies are increasingly available as offthe-shelf products, yet for many designers, artists and nonengineers, these technologies remain difficult to design with. Through a soma design stance, we devised a novel approach for exploring qualities in biodata. Our explorative process culminated in the design of three artefacts, coupling biosignals to tangible actuation formats. By making biodata perceivable as sound, in tangible form or directly on the skin, it became possible to link qualities of the measurements to our own somatics-our felt experience of our bodily bioprocessesas they dynamically unfold, spurring somatically-grounded design discoveries of novel possible interactions. We show that making biodata attainable for a felt experience-or as we frame it: turning biodata into somadata-enables not only first-person encounters, but also supports collaborative design processes as the somadata can be shared and experienced dynamically, right at the moment when we explore design ideas.

Body Matters

“…For instance, such metaphors have been used for the design of tangible learning systems [10], to foster collaborative shared experiences [23], or to support the self-regulation of attention and affect [9,38]. Most recently, materials such as material food probes [25], thermochromic ink or shape memory alloys [67] have been used not only to mirror one's experience but also to promote the self-regulation of different internal processes, for instance, to communicate affective data metaphors-based visual and haptic feedback [1]. Nevertheless, the exploration of the affordances of different materials' qualities to enhance the understanding of abstract subjective embodied experiences has been limited.…”

Biosensing and Actuation—Platforms Coupling Body Input-Output Modalities for Affective Technologies

“…Recently, Miri et al [ 46 ] used a vibration-based personalized slow-paced breathing pacer on the belly which delivered vibrations in a biphasic pattern for inhalation and exhalation and helped users in reducing anxiety during a stressor. With a research approach that explicitly sets out to design with the body—not as an object to be measured but “understanding the body as a site of creative thinking and imagination” [ 47 ]—, works at the intersection of biosensing, interaction design and affective technologies offer an opportunity to study how to support the design of interactions that make us connect with our bodies [ 9 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…These, although not an exhaustive list, are to some extent physiological signals that have become standard for physiology tracking research—slowly crossing disciplines and making their way into affective health tracking, interaction design, and other domains of interest. Moreover, with objectives that range from out-of-the-lab psychophysiology tracking [ 57 , 58 , 59 ] to new perspectives in interaction design [ 43 , 49 , 60 ] our work has often addressed biosignals through other available biosignal research platforms beyond BITalino, such as biosignalsplux [ 61 ], Empatica E4 [ 62 ], Arduino accessories like the Grove GSR [ 63 ], or even commercial wearables such as the Samsung Gear S2 [ 64 ] among others.…”

“…In taking a somaesthetic design approach, affective technology researchers find a path to make sensing workable, paving the way for discoveries that support the creation of new relevant technology-mediated experiences as targeted by the AffecTech project [ 6 ]. To explore how our internal physiological mechanisms can be revealed via a set of biosignals, a routine for experiencing sensing from a first-person perspective was followed, significantly inspired by previous haptic actuation explorations [ 48 , 68 ] and used in part in Reference [ 49 ]. Using the knowledge in biosignals acquisition and relevant information processing the designed routine aims to support the learning of newcomer students to the field of biosignals, potentially adding tangible interaction features that make the topic more accessible.…”

“…Using the knowledge in biosignals acquisition and relevant information processing the designed routine aims to support the learning of newcomer students to the field of biosignals, potentially adding tangible interaction features that make the topic more accessible. This process was originally thought as having an expert guide on biosignals and a learner that would follow and report on the felt biosensing experiences during a 1-3 hour session depending on the number of different biosignals covered, but in practice moved to a more open exploration scheme based on switching roles where no expert/novice knowledge hierarchy is sought [ 49 ]. The first-person sensing experience goes beyond a theoretical explanation and the lab experience with pre-recorded signals or a recording session of biosignals.…”