Undulating Flux project uses Wiimotes, Arduino boards to transmit dancer's movements
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 28th 2010 12:28AM
posted May 28th 2010 12:28AM
Undulating Flux is UC Irvine student David Resnick's attempt at creating a "sensory augmentation system" that uses a dancer (or "vibrationist") to "transduce music into tactile sensations." In layman's terms, a dancer's movements are sent via Wiimote to an Arduino-equipped chair. The chair's vibrations correspond to the dancer's movements, allowing an observer to see, hear, and "feel" the dancing. There's a lot more to it than that, actually -- feel free to hit up the source link for all the nitty gritty, and make sure you peep the video after the break. 
I hope he proves his hypothesis!
@Godfather Thanks. Me too. So far people report feeling really relaxed and "good" after being in the chair. I just hooked up with two biophysics researchers to start hooking up things like EEGs and photon measurement sensors to: a) measure what the actual physiological results are, and b) Use the data from such sensors in place of the wiimote--biofeedback.
::crickets:: ... rather quiet over here.
This is really cool. I hope to see more people attempt immersion experiences like this. It seems everyone's so interested in simulating reality, we forgot how awesome it can be to augment and expand sensation too.
@Kitt Yes! I'm definitely a fan of embodied cognition (thinking occurs in the body as well as the brain). Glad you "get" this :)
This is a step towards that field for entertainment:
http://www.d-box.com/en/movie-theatre/
@Unholyfire I saw D-box when it first came out. Good idea. Haven't tried it so I can't speak for the experience.
I'd like to meet a "vibrationist"......
What do people have against the gender neutral "their." Their body.
Otherwise, I don't like it how arty stuff always has to be all arty. Does it only work under particular responses?
@huh You have a good point about being gender neutral. I did realize that myself once the video was already done, but I will make the changes in the text now.
The piece is arty because it was exhibited in an art gallery (one that happens to focus on Art + Technology). But it's also something that anyone can experience--it's best in person sitting in the chair! So the actual experience is not some heady art thing. It's a real embodied, human experience.
@sebastianrenix what I mean is.. you know when you go to a spa and they're playing spa music.. wild life sounds.. pan flute ... etc? Is that necessary? I hope not. Otherwise the whole piece becomes kind of conceptual. Not that I'd want you to make it suitable for accompaniment to a sonic cannon, but y'know.
@huh I see your point and I think it's valid. But from my point of view sound is very powerful. It makes a difference if you're listening to Mozart or to Muzak ;) Does film need music too? Why not just watch the movie and listen to people talk? I got a number of comments from people who really enjoyed the musical aspect of it and even asked if they could buy the track on iTunes. I appreciate your feedback though and it's definitely getting me thinking about different ways I could present the work.
Force feedback while watching someone dance? Great hypothesis. I'm gonna guess it might work with whatever those artsy people are on, but not the average person. It would probably work better if it actually moved the participants hands instead on just vibrating.
@Someguyperson I'm going to respond to the last sentence which is think is quite insightful. I just had a meeting with the guy who did this last week: http://www.t11s.com/touch.html We were talking about just the thing you mentioned.