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Body-Centric Computing: Results from a week-long Dagstuhl seminar in a German castle
Florian‘Floyd’Mueller
ExertionGamesLab,RMITUniversity,[email protected]
JoshAndresExertionGamesLab,RMITUniversity&IBMResearch,Australia
UniversityofNottingham,[email protected]
DagSvanæs NorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Norway
[email protected] m.c.schraefel
KathrinGerlingKULeuven,Belgium
StockholmUniversity,[email protected]
AnnaLisaMartin-NiedeckenZurichUniversityoftheArts
[email protected]árquezSegura
UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz,[email protected]
NicholasGrahamQueen’sUniversity,Canada
RoyalInstituteofTechnology,[email protected]
LancasterUniversity,[email protected]
Introduction
Inlate2017,23researchersandacademicsfromEurope,AustraliaandtheUSAgatheredforaweektodiscussthefutureofbody-centriccomputing.Dagstuhl,anon-profitcenterforcomputerscienceresearch,whichislocatedinaruralareainGermanyandprovidedtheworkshopspaceinan18th-centurypicturesquecastle,hostedtheseminar.
Thegoaloftheseminarwastodiscussthefutureofwhatitmeanstodesigninteractivetechnologywhencenteringonthehumanbodyandthefutureofthisnovelareaofinteractiondesign.Thisareaevolvedinpartwiththeemergenceofmovement-,physiological-andbio-basedsensorsandactuators,towhichfollowedthebloomingoftechnologiessuchaswearables,quantified-selfsystemsandmovement-basedinteractivesystems(e.g.exertiongames).Thesetechnologiesbearacloserelationshiptothebody:theymaybeworn(wearables),carriedandkeptclosetothebody(mobiletechnology)orinvolvebodymovementsorphysiologicalresponsesasmaininteractionmodality(e.g.exertiongames,quantified-selfsystems).Theystandinstarkcontrasttotechnologiesandapplicationswithinthepreviouslyprevalentdesktopcomputingparadigm,whichinvolvedinteractingwithcomputersinawaythatrequiredminimalbodilyengagementandratherstaticpositions,suchassittingstill.Themotivationfortheseminarstemmedfromtherealizationthatuntiltoday,mostworkinthisareahastakenmostlyaninstrumentalperspective,focusingonachievingobjectives,suchas“whojoggedthemostmilesthisweek?”rewardingathleticperformance.However,theoriesandperspectives,suchasphenomenologyanduserexperiencedesign,canhelpusextendthisfocusonperformancetoalsoincludethesubjectiveembodiedexperienceoftheuserengagedinsuchinteractions.
DespitetheconceptofembodimenthavingbeeninthespotlightinHuman-ComputerInteraction,thebody,theactualcorporeal,pulsatingandfeltbody,hasbeennotablyneglectedintheoryanddesignwork.Thismaybebecausewelackknowledgeandvocabularytoaccess,articulate,andultimatelydesignforthesehighlysubjectiveandelusivebodilyexperiencesthatgobeyondexternalsensorialinteractions.Thechallengefurtherincreaseswhenakeydesignmaterialcomesfromavastamountofdatareportedbyvarioussensors.AnotherissueisthatHCIresearcherstypicallyhavelimiteddirectknowledgeofortraininginhowthebodyworksasacomplexsystem(i.e.in-bodiedknowledge).Inordertodrivesuchanagendathatsupportsinstrumentalaswellasexperiential,embodied,andin-bodiedperspectivesoftheactivehumanbody,theseminarbroughttogetherleadingexperts.Theydiscussedkeyquestionsaroundtheuseofinteractivesystemstosupportbothinstrumentalandexperientialperspectivestopioneernewapproachesforwhatweproposetoframeasafutureofbody-centriccomputing.
Theaimofbody-centriccomputingistodesignproductsandservicesthatrepositiontheroleofthebodyfromperipherytothecentreoftheinteraction,becomingbody-friendly.Thismeanssolutionsthatseriouslyconsider,respect,extend,enhanceorfacilitatetheuser’sbodyandassociatedbodilyexperiences.Thiscontrastssolutionsthatignore,neglectanddisregardtheroleofthebodytoperceive,act,andconstructmeaning:inshort,tobeintheworld.
Thecoreapplicationdomainsforbody-centriccomputingarehealth,wellbeing,sportsandentertainment.TheHealthdomainincludesprevention,rehabilitation,diseasemanagementandcognitive/physicalperformance.Wellbeingsupportspleasureandconnectedness,orusesembodiedinteractiontofacilitatecognitiveoffloading.Sports,includinginsightsfromsportscience,viewthebodyasasiteforperformance,training,learning,andimprovement.Entertainment,includinggaming,aimsforfullbodilyimmersionininteractiveexperiences.
Theseminarbeganwithtalksbyallattendees,inwhichtheypresentedtheirworkinthearea,thetheoreticalperspectivesthatguidetheirwork,andadescriptionoftheirmostandleastfavoritebody-centriccomputingprojects.Afterthepresentationsconcluded,nomoreslideswereusedfortheremainderoftheweek,withallactivitiesbeingconductedeitherasaroundtable,standingup,orexercisingbothindoorsandoutdoors,fittingwiththeseminartheme.Theprogramincludedgroupactivitieswithsupplementedwhole-bodymovementpracticestosupporta“brainaspartofthebody”approach.Optionalmorningandeveningactivities,suchasplayinggolf,jogging,cycling,hiking,orslackliningfurthersupplementedthisuseofthephysicalinsupportofthecognitive/socialdimension.Aselectionofsomekeyactivitiesandmethods,andthebody-centricreflectiontheyfacilitatedisoutlinedbelowtoillustratetheseminaranditsethos.
1.1 Interactivity session
Inaninteractivitysession,participantstriedouteachother’sbody-centriccomputingsystemsthroughhands-onexperiencesinordertoreflectontheinstrumentalaswellasexperientialperspectivesthesedesignsactivelysupported.
JoeMarshall(UniversityofNottingham)setupaswingwhereuserswearanHMD(head-mounteddisplay)throughwhichtheyseeavirtualworldthatrespondstothemovementoftheswing.Thisinvolvedinterestingmappingsofactiontypesinthephysicalworld(swing)totheeffectsinthevirtualworld.Thisworkelicitedquestionsaroundhowmovementcanbedeliberatelyfedbacktotheuserinanalteredfashiontoelicitnovelentertainmentexperiences.
VRonaswing
AnnaLisaMartin-NiedeckenfromtheZurichUniversityoftheArtspresentedherdualflow-basedfitnessgame“PlunderPlanet”[2]thatadaptstoplayers’abilitiesinreal-time,provokingquestionsaroundwhatroletechnologyplaysinallowingpeopletoexperiencetheirbodiesinanindividual
andsocialcontext.
"PlunderPlanet"cooperativemultiplayer-setupatDagstuhl
LifetreebyPatibandaetal.[4]isaVRgameaimedtotrainaproperbreathingtechnique.Participantswhotriedoutthegamesaidthattheirexperienceelicitedreflectionontheroletechnologycanplayinpromotingwellbeing,whiletechnologyoftenraiseschallengesforhealth.
Florian‘Floyd’MuellerfromRMITUniversityinAustraliapresentedvariousheadphonesthatusenoise-cancelling,in-ear,over-earandboneconductingtechnologiesinordertoraisethequestionofwhetherwecouldsaythatoneistobemorebody-centricthananother.
DagSvanaesfromtheNorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnologypresentedaninteractivetail[5]thatmovesinresponsetothehip-movementoftheuser,controlledviasensorsandactuators.Thisworkelicitedthephenomenologicalquestionabouttheroleoftechnologyinextendinghumanbodies.
DagSvanaesattachingthetailtoCorinaSas
PerttuHämäläinenfromAaltoUniversityinFinlandpresentedhisworkonusingAItopredictandanimatemovementinvirtualworlds,provokingquestionsaroundhowAIcaninformthemovementofembodiedsystemssuchasexoskeletonsorthetailmentionedaboveandwhetherAIcanaccuratelyorevocativelyrepresenthumanmotion.
1.2 Methods for body-centric computing
Methodsforhowtodesignbody-centriccomputingwerenotonlyheavilydebated,butalsotriedoutthroughdesignexercises.Tobetterconnectwithourinnerselfandbeabletoaccessanduseourbodilyexperiencesindesign,weengagedinseveralsomaticsensitizingactivities,ledbyTheclaShiphorst(Simon-FrasierUniversity,Canada).Someactivitiesrevolvedaroundhelpingusalternateandworkwithdifferentfociofattention.First,participantswereinvitedtoclosetheireyestohelpthemshifttheirattentiontovariousbodypartsandsomaticsensations,favoringafirst-person
attentiveinward-lookingexperience.Tocontrastthis,otheractivitiesrevolvedaroundactingintheworldwithoutfocusingonanyobjectorpeoplearound,lettingourattentiondiffuseaswemovedintheworld.Inparticular,weweretomaintainthistypeofattentionwhilewalkingveryslowlythroughthesurroundingforestryforabout20minutes,insilence.
Walkingveryslowlythroughthesurroundingforestry,insilence
Thissharedexerciseofdiffusedattentionaimedataninwardfocusandaheightenedawarenessofthebodyintheworld.Itwasdoneataslowpacetoallowtheparticipantstousetheirbodiesasatooltoaccessandasasitetocultivatetheirsensorialandfeltexperiences.Theactofdiffusingattentionwaslaterlikenedbyparticipantstothetypeofcross-eyeconcentrationrequiredtoseerandomdotautostereograms.Afterthisexercise,participantswereaskedtopickthreeelementsfromtheirexperience,whichtheywould“imprint”intheirbodies.Thiswasdonebyfocusingon
oneparticularelementwhilegentlypinchingapartofonehand,usingtheindexfingerandthumboftheotherhand.Participantsplacedontheirbodiesatactilecueperexperientialelementselected.Thesebodilyimprintswherelateraccessedandutilizedbyparticipantsinagroupdesigntask:designinganinteractiveshape-changingchair.Theseimprintsweremeantaslivedexperienceinspirations,andasremindersofthoseelements,momentslived,andtheirbodilystates.Theyweremeanttotransportparticipantstotheirpreviouslylivedstateofslowness,appreciation,andcultivation,whichcanbeinspirationalbody-centricdesignqualities.
Designingachairwithoutchairs
Thedesignoutcome,thechair,wasnotasimportantastheprocessitself.Allthedesignteamsrealizedhowdifficultitistoarticulatefeltexperiencesandapplaudedthisbodilyimprintingmethodinhowithelpedthemarticulateandagreeonparticularexperientialqualitiestheywantedtheirdesigntoelicit.Theactivityappearedtofunctionasawaytogainingclearandfocuseddesignqualities.
Mostparticipantsappreciatedtheslow-walking-in-the-woodsactivityallowingthemtogetintoafruitfuldesignconducivestate.Manycommentedonhoweasyandquicklytheydecidedonparticularexperientialqualitiestodesignfor,andhowmuchinsynctheyfeltwithintheirdesignteams.Manyrelatedthistothepriorbodilyactivitytheyallshared,whichcreatedanexperientialcommongroundthatfacilitatedinternalcommunicationandjointdesignwork.Manyspeculatedhowslowlywalkingtogetherinsilencecreatedaricherdesignvocabularythanamoretraditionalbrainstormingordesigndiscussionactivity.Thissharedactivityhelpedbuildacommunityandasenseoftrustwithoneanother,whichhelpedmaterializethecollectiveexperienceinthedesignprocess(e.g.facilitatingtotakerisks),andoutcomes.Participantsalsonotedthatthroughtheexercise,theyweremuchmoreateasecombiningthingsduringthedesignphasethatperhapsotherwisewouldhavenotmademuchsenseifwewereinacriticalstate,the“anythinggoes”stateofmindisperhapsmoreproductivethanbeing“critical,smart,andthebrilliantdesigneryoualwayswanttobe”.However,forsomeparticipantstheslowwalkingdidnotworkthatwell;they
haddifficultynotbeinggoal-oriented,lettinggoandbeinginthemoment.Thisshowsthattheseactivitiesmightnotworkforeveryoneandinanystateofmind,orthatsomepeoplemightrequiremoretimetoappreciatesuchactivities.
Oneofthedesignoutcomes
Inacriticalexaminationanddiscussionaboutdesignoutcomesfrombody-centereddesignprocesses,itwasnotedthattheyoftenfallintoa“meditative,”“inward-looking,”“self-reflective"genre(e.g.thesomaestheticyogamat[1]).Participantsponderedaboutwhichtypesofsensitizingpre-designactivitiesothertypesofaestheticbodilyexperienceswouldrequire.Ifyouaredesigningforadanceclub,wouldslowlywalkinginthewoodshelpandhow?Likewise,whatwouldhappenifthesedesignershaddesignedthosechairsafterjogging?Itwasalsonotedthatthisparticularactivityfocusedondesigningfromourexperiences(i.e.thebrieftodesignachairwasonlygivenafterthesilenceactivity),whereasinreality,thebriefusuallycomesfirst,hencethedesignprocessmightthereforeunfolddifferently.
Participantsalsoobservedthattwolinesofconversationsemergedwhenreflectingontheactivity;onewasaboutdesigningforthehumanbodyfromthelensofwhatisgoodforthehuman,whilethesecondlineisaboutdesigningnewexperiencesthatareexperientialandnotnecessarilygoodforthehumanbody;however,theydonotnecessarilyneedtostandincontrast,asMuellerandYoungpreviouslyhighlighted[3].
Participantsalsotriedouttakingonafirst,second,andthird-personperspectivewhendesigningforthehumanbody[5].Thefirst-personperspectiveisconcernedwiththepersonal,feltperspectiveofthebody,thesecond-personperspectiveisconcernedwiththeinterdependenciesbetweenbodies,whereasthethird-personperspectiveisconcernedwiththeexternal,more“objective”viewofthebody.Discussionsthatfollowedfromthishavehighlightedthatthethird-personperspectiveisprobablyprevalentinmostoftoday’savailablewearabletechnologies,withafewemergingsystemsalsoconsideringthefirst-personperspective.Thesecond-personperspectiveisprobablythehardesttograsp,withlimitedexemplarsbeingavailableasguidance.
CollaborativeworkingsessionsatDagstuhl
1.3 Open questions around body-centric computing
Therearemanyopenquestionsaroundbody-centriccomputing.Oneparticularopenquestionthatarosewashowtoarticulatebodilyexperiencesfordesign.Atthemoment,thereisonlylimitedknowledgeofhowtocommunicate,shareandarticulatebodilyexperiences.Followingfromhere,wealsoacknowledgetheneedtounderstandhowmuchknowledgeaboutthehumanbodyoneneedsinordertodesignforbody-centriccomputing.Ofcourse,onemightarguethatthemorethebetter,however,onepositionwasthatitisalsoimpracticaltoexpectalldesignerstakekinesiologycourses;othersquestionedifthatisthecase.Istheresomebasicknowledgethatmightbesufficient,ordowealwaysneedtobringexpertsin?Forexample,HCIcurriculacurrentlyteachaspectsofthevisionsystemandFitts’Lawaboutourperceptualandperformancecapacities.Doesn’tournewinterestinbody-centriccomputingnotrequireustoaddinmorespecificknowledgeaboutotherrelevantphysiological,chemical,hormonal,neurologicalprocesses?Ifso,howdoweprovideHCIstudentsanddesignerswiththenecessaryknowledgetodrawfromandinterprettheirownbodilyexperienceswithconfidence?Overall,thereisaneedformoremethodsandconceptsforpersonalizedandadaptivebody-centricsystemsbasedonfine-grainedknowledgeofthehumanbody.
Anotherquestionthatemergedishowtorespectexperiencesofbodychanges.Forinstance,howdowedesignforrestrictedmovement?Thisquestionarosefromthediscussionaroundwhetherphysicalrestrictioncouldbeusedasameanstofacilitateempathyforpeoplelivingwithphysicaldisabilities.
UsingVRtodisruptawarenessofspacetoforcerelearningofhowtonavigateinthephysical
world.
Inresult,howcanwedesignbody-centriccomputingsystemsthataffectmovement,likephysicalrestrictions,tofacilitatelimitsacrosslifecourseandexperience?Andhowcandesignerscreatetheseexperiencesandensuretheyareaccurate(iftheyaremeanttoreflecta“real”experience)?Suchanexplorationcould,forexample,leadtoexertiongamesinwhichtheplayerstartsoffwithaphysicalconstraintlikeadistortedviewthatimpactsorientationinthevirtualworldalongwithcoordinationofmovementintherealworld,andthenthroughlevelingupexperiencesincreasedempowerment.Thisprogressiveapproachcouldbeawaytodesignfortransformationanddevelopmentyetacknowledgethatreal-lifestrengthandflexibilitydevelopsovermonthsratherthanindividualexercisesessions,usingtechnologytomakethislargertimespanmoreimmediatelyvisibleandexploratory.
Therearealsomanytechnicalopenquestionsaroundbody-centriccomputing.Aparticularlypertinentonewasdetectingwhenpeopletoucheachother,andtowhatextent.Certainly,solutionsalreadyexist;however,theyareoftennotveryportable,requiringtetheringandpower.Developingsystemsthatcanunobtrusivelysensehumantouchthataremobileandcanbewornforlongperiodsisstilltechnicallyverychallenging.Furthermore,ashortageofprototypingtoolsforbody-centriccomputingisalsolimitingthefield.
Finally,anotherimportantunderexploredareaconcernsethicsaroundbody-centriccomputing.Movingthebodycomeswithcertainrisks,however,theseriskshavevalueinandofthemselves,andinteractiondesignersneedtobeawareofhowtodealwiththis[3].Participantsarguedthat
thealternativeistodesignforstillness,whichmightnotfacilitateimmediateinjury,butultimatelyleadstoobesityandunhappiness,somethingthatallparticipantsaimedtoavoid.
Acknowledgements WethankDagstuhlfortheirextensivesupport,allparticipantsforcontributingandpicturetaking.
Authors Florian'Floyd'MuellerisdirectoroftheExertionGamesLabatRMITUniversity,Australia,whereheengagesbody-centriccomputingtohelpfacilitatepersonalgrowth.Previously,hewasaFulbrightScholaratStanfordUniversityandhasspenttimeattheMITMediaLab,MicrosoftResearch,FXPal,XeroxParc,UniversityofMelbourneandCSIRO.floyd@exertiongameslab.orgJoshAndresleadsuserexperienceanddesignatIBMResearchAustralia;hisresearchinHCIinvestigatestheinterplaybetweenauser’sexertionandactuationenabledsystemstofacilitatenewuserexperiencesfortheactivehumanbody.HeisaPhDcandidateatRMIT’sExertionGamesLab.ja@exertiongameslab.orgJoeMarshallisaseniorresearchfellowattheMixedRealityLab,SchoolofComputerScience,Nottingham,UK.Hisworkinvestigatesgamesandartisticinstallationswhichrespondtotheuser’sfullbody.gamesTouch-o-maticandhisBroncomaticbreathcontrolledfairgroundridewererecentlypartofalongterminstallationattheUKsNationalVideogameArcade.Healsohelpedbuild,deployandstudyVRPlayground,amajortouringVRartworkbyartistBrendanWalker,whichhasbeenriddenbyover10,000peopleinthelastyear.joe.marshall@nottingham.ac.ukm.c.schraefeluniversityofSouthampton–professorofcomputerscienceandhumanperformance,aswellasacertifiedstrengthandconditioningcoach,nutritionistandmovementcoach.–m.c.leadstheWellthLabinHuman-SystemsInteractionwhosemissionis:exploreresearchanddesignofinteractivecomputationsystemstohelp#MakeNormalBettertoenhancequalityoflifeforall.mc@ecs.soton.ac.ukKathrinGerlingisanassistantprofessoratKULeuven,Belgium,wheresheispartofthee-MediaResearchLab.HerworkbroadlyfallsintoHCIandphysicalcomputing.Sheisparticularlyinterested
inhowinterfacescanbemadeaccessibleforaudienceswithspecialneeds,andhowinteractivetechnologiescanbeleveragedtosupportwell-being.kathrin.gerling@kuleuven.beJakobTholanderisanassociateprofessoratStocholmUniversitySweden.HeisaresearcherinHumanComputerInteractionandhasstudiedvariousaspectsofinteractiondesignandbody-centriccomputingrangingfromtangibletechnologies,tosportsandrecreation,[email protected] LisaMartin-Niedecken is a Senior Researcher at the Zurich University of the Arts, SubjectArea Game Design. With her background in sports science her R&D work mainly focuses onmovement-basedgames.Sheisparticularlyinterestedinhowtechnologyshapesgameplay/bodilyexperiencesintheindividualandsocialplaycontext.
ElenaMárquezSeguraisapostdoctoralresearcherintheSocialEmotionalTechnologyLabattheUniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz.Herresearchanddesignfocusonmovement-basedco-locatedsocialinteraction.Recently,ElenahasbeenworkinginthedomainofsocialwearablesandsocialVR.Elenaalsospecializesinnovelembodiedideationmethodsforthedesignofrichphysicalandsocialexperiencesincollocatedsettings.Shehasusedhermethodstofacilitateandleadideationactivitiesinvariousdomains,includingphysicalrehabilitation,interactiveperformances,movement-basedgamesandplayexperiences,andfutureenvisioningworkshops.elena.marquez@ucsc.eduElisevandenHovenisfullprofessorintheFacultyofEngineeringandITatUTS,associateprofessorintheDepartmentofIndustrialDesignatEindhovenUniversityofTechnology(TU/e),andhastwohonoraryappointments.SheleadstheMaterialisingMemoriesresearchprogram,usingdesignresearchtosupportrememberingactivities.elise.vandenhoven@uts.edu.auNicholasGrahamisaprofessorattheSchoolofComputing,Queen’sUniversity,whereheperformsresearchingamedesignanddevelopment.Hisgroupfocusesonexercisevideogames(exergames)forchildrenwithdisabilitiessuchascerebralpalsy.nicholas.graham@queensu.ca
KristinaHöökisaprofessorininteractiondesignattheRoyalInstituteofTechnology(KTH).Herresearchfocusesonsomadesign,affectiveinteraction,bodilyengagement,andaesthetics.khook@kth.seCorinaSasisfullprofessorinHCIandDigitalHealthatLancasterUniversity,UK.Shehasexpertiseintechnologiesforwellbeingandhealth,andcurrentlyleadsAffecTech,aMarieCurieinnovativetrainingnetworkonpersonaltechnologiesforaffectiveheath.corina@comp.lancs.ac.uk
Insights
• Presentskeycomponentsofafutureresearchagendaaroundbody-centriccomputingbasedonaDagstuhlseminarcompiledbyagroupofexperts.
• Weneedtoconsiderhowtoconnectembodiedinteractiondesigntobothin-bodied
design(howmuchdoweneedtoknowabouthowweworkascomplexsystemsundertheskin)andcircum-bodieddesign(howbodiesaremediatedbothinsideandoutsideviathemicrobiome);howthatphysiologicalmediationputsundererasurewhatweconstrueasinside/outsideourbodies.
• Weneedtonegotiatethebalancebetweenbody-drivenandtechnology-drivendevelopment(i.e.,understandtheneedsofthehumanbodyandmind,theconstraintsthatcertaintechnologiesplaceonthehumanbody,andhowtheyinfluencethesystemsthattheHCIresearchcommunitycreates).
• Weneedtofurtherdevelopourconceptualapparatusfordesigningandtheorisingbodycentrictechnology,allowingdiverseperspectivestocommunicateaboutthechallengesweface,especiallyconcerninghowtogetdesignapproaches,technologyandperspectivesonthebody(rangingfrominbody,onbody,aroundthebody,andbetweenbodies)toproductivelymeet.
References
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