GutFeelings

nano controller

In Technology design, UX, XR Posted May 21, 2020

Experiencing the Human Microbiome in XR.

Gut feelings is an embodied VR experience produced by artists, designers, and scientists, that explores changes over time of the human microbiome from volunteers exposed to environmental effects based on geographical location, environmental & health, travel, and social changes. The VR experience introduces the users to virtual representations of a predetermined number of species that inhabit the human gut; it has been designed to integrate the virtual experience as an extension to physical components in the real world. Users experience a mixed environment that blends VR with tangible reality.

When the users enter the exhibit space, they encounter a set of five suspended pods in the air, with the capabilities to swing and rotate 360 degrees; inside of each pod there is a HMD that contains a representation of participants’ microbiome. The microorganisms displayed in the virtual environments correspond to the data collected from each participant. Data streams are mapped to cellular organisms defining their structure and behavior as autonomous agents.

The amount of bacter drives the amount and growth of each species and the change over time define the physics-based independent movement. The collection of entities is defined within the 3D representation of the gut, that matches the size of the pod where the user is experiencing the system. This visual and animated metaphor allows users to experience the complexity of the gut microbiome.