BREATHING MIRROR

_{Interactive Installation for Visualizing
the Meditation Process}

Selected for NYU ITP | IMA Winter Show 2022 and Wonderville Winter Show

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Breathing Mirror is an interactive installation that substantializes a meditation process.

The image of the player is connected to their brainwave through MUSE 2 and only a peaceful mind will return the artificially-processed, disturbing image into the true face of oneself.

Type
Date
Instructors
Keywords
Tools

Individual Project
October 2022
Chika Iijima
Interaction Design + Projection Mapping
Touch Designer + MadMapper + MUSE 2

PROCESS OVERVIEW

︎ 01 Project Flowchart
︎ 02 Development Process I - Visual Effect
︎ 03 Development Process II - Spatial Layout
︎ 04 Development Process III - Prototype
︎ 05 Development Process IV - Physical Setup
︎ 06 Outcome

01 PROJECT FLOWCHART

02 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS I - VISUAL EFFECT

The visual effect was made in Touch Designer:

_{Person Detection}

The installation was programmed to activate automatically when a player is detected by the webcam. For this effect, a person-detecting function using the Blob Track TOP module was included in Touch Designer:

Visuals Activated when a Person Present

Visuals Deactivated when No Person Present

_{Brainwave Detection}

The intensity of the visuals is controlled by the player’s brain activity, which is detected by MUSE 2, a brain sensing head band:

Mind Monitor, a mobile app for receiving the brainwave data from MUSE 2, was then used. This app generates an electroencephalography that splits the brain activity into 5 waves. Among them, the Alpha wave represents the level of relaxation and meditation, which would be used in controlling the visuals in Touch Designer.

An OCS In CHOP module was used to receive data from Mind Monitor to Touch Designer. The value of the Alpha wave is then exported to TOPs that control the intensity of visual effects.