Yingyue (Samantha) Cui | Bond: Exploring ephemeral connections between strangers

 
The rapid development in technology has pushed human interactions to become more digitized. We receive instructions on how to interact and form a connection with others through our virtual presence. As we stand in the phase of transitioning to the age of intelligence, perhaps we could experiment with ways to take advantage of the digital tools to enhance our emotional connections with something we have always been familiar with, our bodies.Bond is an interactive installation that aims to explore the possibilities of humans forming an emotional connection with each other through movement-tracking encouraging physical encounters. It takes the form of multiple particle systems in the 3D space, where the expansion of particles represents the stimulation of oxytocin, the brain chemical released in response to social bonding. As the two users approach each other, links are formed between the particles with ‘glowing’ lines as it represents the activated neuron networks. The users’ original avatars would also emerge into a new object. The particles consist of four colors, red, yellow, green, and blue as they are the commonly used colors for brain activity experiments (such as PET scans). Functions such as the rotation of the network and cube as particles were added to enhance the project’s 3D visual effect.
Bond pushes the boundaries of the role technology has been playing in human interactions. From encouraging competitive to collaborative relationships, from 2D to 3D visual responses, previous research and multiple user-testing experiments have set a valid foundation for the development of this project. This is just a start to opening up many more opportunities.