Project description
Developing tools for adapting designs to user responses
The EU-funded MindSpaces project aims to create a novel approach to urban and architectural design by generating dynamic and adaptive virtual reality (VR) environments to help engage users in the design process. The preferences of the users will be captured through physiological sensors (EEG, GSR etc.), and combined with their behaviour within the VR environment, the design will adapt accordingly. Improvements will be suggested by considering different modalities (emotional, behavioural and textual analysis). MindSpaces focuses on how artists can contribute to this tech-oriented design process, making it more participatory and human-oriented. Artists can help create awareness and inspire behavioural change to alter the connection that the occupants have with their built environment.
Objective
MindSpaces aims to create a novel approach to urban and architectural design by generating 3D-VR immersive and emotion-adaptive ‘neuro-environments’ that will help in designing emotionally-relevant urban spaces. The emotional aspects of an environment will be captured through the use of mobile EEG (Elecroencephalography) headsets, wearable bracelets/watches, and other physiological sensors that will be embedded with a VR-headset, so as to allow capturing the neuro-feedback of a VR-experience. The neuro-feedback will allow the virtual space to be adapted accordingly, resulting in an emotion-adaptive space. The ‘neuro-environments’ will be used at two levels of granularity. At the first level, artists and creatives will experience the ‘neuro-environments’ with the intention to improve the emotional-relevance of the urban space through the neuro-feedback of individuals, that have very-well developed the perception of aesthetics in what refers to symmetry and harmony but also to unconventional thinking leading to unexpected solutions. At the second level, the ‘neuro-environments’ will be experienced by the potential occupants of the urban space, so as to improve the emotional-relevance of this space through the neuro-feedback of individuals that have developed through experience the perception of space usability, comfort and functionality. This will allow MindSpaces to combine the transversal competencies and unconventional thinking of Artists, with the empirical and pragmatic perception of actual occupants, so as to drive the development of unconventional and unexpected solutions in the design of urban spaces.
Fields of science
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
57001 Thermi Thessaloniki
Greece