Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ChronoPilot (Modulating Human Subjective Time Experience) Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2022-08-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project Our ability to estimate time is critical in every aspect of our life and yet, unlike other perceptual dimensions, we do not possess a sense organ specifically dedicated to time. Rather, subjective time seems to result from a conglomerate of brain processes that allow us to time our behavior in order to act in a highly complex world. The subjective percept of time is not unitary (time estimation vs. passage of time) and not equal to physical duration and can be distorted by a wide variety of factors. This distortion(s) may, however, yield to a beneficial impact on our behavior by boosting the efficiency of stimulus processing, facilitating cognitive functioning, and enhancing decision-making.ChronoPilot’s novel paradigm is to utilise the malleability of the subjective experience of time for our advantage at any moment. ChronoPilot aims to control the plasticity of human time perception by delivering stimuli via mediated-reality technology into the human’s senses of vision, audition, and haptics.The proposed technological breakthrough to purposefully manipulate subjective time relies on a set of cognitive approaches, which are based on findings in both neuroscience and psychology to tune time experience. We aim at a comprehensive understanding of time modulation, through modelling of key variables and the interplay of different senses in human time perception. The exploited cognitive approaches are translated through a set of body-worn technologies into particular stimuli that are fed dynamically into the human’s senses of vision, audition, and haptics as a function of the situation, sensory integration and physiological indicators of mental workload, stress, and flow.ChronoPilot aims to improve individual lives and interactions with other humans, as well as with novel artificial systems. Humans may mutually influence each other’s time perception. We will investigate how networked ChronoPilots can synchronise time modulation strategies between all members of a group. Looking into the future, we expect an evolution towards a hybrid society in which we interact more and more with technological counterparts, such as robots. Humans may be overwhelmed by the speed, accuracy, and quantity of information flow of these systems. We will research how ChronoPilot can help. ChronoPilot aspires to provide proof-of-value in two real-world scenarios. In the first scenario, we aim to manipulate time in order to improve the control of a user over multiple mobile robots in precision farming. In the second scenario, we aim to create flow in the cooperation of a heterogeneous group of humans that differ in experience and skill in an industrial production setting.ChronoPilot will be realized through the interdisciplinarity of its consortium, which is comprised of experts in cognitive science, neuroscience, perception, behavioural modelling, artificial intelligence, mediated reality, and robotics. Our novel methods of time modulation will pave the way for innovative applications and products improving efficiency, well-being, productivity, creativity, and safety. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far ChronoPilot’s proposed technological breakthrough to purposefully manipulate subjective time relies on a set of defined project objectives. Those are to: • model the dynamics of human subjective time in terms of psychological key variables,• modulate time perception by auto-triggered sensory stimuli,• coordinate time perception in human and hybrid collectives, and • evaluate if time can be utilised to improve well-being and productivity in hybrid and human collaboration.During the 1st reporting period of the project, the consortium has initiated work on all those objectives through the tasks defined in each of the project’s work packages. Early on the project’s lifetime all necessary groundwork was made in regards to dissemination and management of the project, as well as the digital presence of the project and access to the project’s results (i.e. open access of publications and data). Additionally, a necessary step of the initial progress of the ChronoPilot was the attainment of the ethical approvals needed for the work conducted in the project. A lot of scientific work has also been conducted during this period, focusing on the definition of a set of variables that modulate timing and that are prominent targets for exploitation by ChronoPilot. Definition of those allowed also to further define and develop the details of the ChronoPilot scenarios and the necessary performance measures related to the success of the ChronoPilot(s). Furthermore, work was also conducted in further reviewing existing research or producing new research in terms of the modulation of time, which is to be used in the project’s scenarios. Significant developments were also noted in the development of a generic software architecture and prototype for stimuli integration and experiment design in the ChronoPilot project. Most importantly, the multisensory haptic vest and gauntlet prototypes were developed, enabling haptic sensory input that is designed for time modulation purposes. Work has also focused on investigating the use of in-game metrics to measure cognitive load as a reference for task-induced changes in subjective time perception. Finally, design, implementation, and evaluation activities on the ChronoPilot scenarios have been initiated. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) ChronoPilot’s novel paradigm is to utilise the malleability of the subjective experience of time for our advantage at any moment. ChronoPilot aims to control the plasticity of human time perception by delivering stimuli via mediated-reality technology into the human’s senses of vision, audition, and haptics so as to obtain a beneficial impact on our behaviour by boosting the efficiency of stimulus processing, facilitating cognitive functioning, and enhancing decision-making. Our novel methods of time modulation will pave the way for innovative applications and products improving efficiency, well-being, productivity, creativity, and safety.Putting humans at the center of the development to reduce stress (burnout) as well as boredom, increase the overall quality of life and mitigate the costs of stress-related mental health issues, ChronoPilot will have a significant societal impact. Creating awareness for the opportunities and challenges of the plasticity of subjective timing, ChronoPilot will offer a new dimension to policy makers and the population.By paving the way for new applications and products that improve efficiency and well-being, the ChronoPilot technological results hold great potential to form a new market of time-plasticity software and devices. SMEs or even individual persons can take the idea and develop time-modulating various applications. Potential application domains include: A. industry 5.0. Τhe factory of the future will be focused on the cooperation between man and machine, as human intelligence works in harmony with cognitive computing embedded in devices such as co-bots. B. healthcare. Νovel curative approaches for mental health disorders with altered time perception or reduction of the perceived time of painful medical treatments. C. cultural and creative industry. Content producers will benefit from techniques of manipulating time in interactive storytelling formats. ChronoPilot's loop of science and technology ChronoPilot's Farming Scenario ChronoPilot's Factory Scenario ChronoPilot's logo ChronoPilot's Consortium Collaboration
