Thanks for all the information George! It does show that this kind of work has to delve quite deeply into the medical and scientific, to make sense of the data alone this is necessary.I read the article and it does not surprise me in the least that slow breathing of the zen monks is reflected in increased heart rate variance. As it is a little similar to running, I have been doing breathing (pranayama) yoga every morning for years and still break out in a sweat, even though I don't move at all...In terms of your work, I see that your main aim is to make people explore their own embodiment, through exploring your interfaces which give a visual and sometimes aural (bio)feedback. I think this is a good approach and avoids classification. However, there will still be many mapping decisions you take in order to give people something to go by. I agree that the 'gaming' or goal based approach could be counter productive when you want people to reach a meditative state, although something that shows they are getting closer may be of use. Or perhaps they need to forget they are trying to achieve anything altogether and so a more abstract, immersive and peaceful audio visual feedback may be more effective. Then where is the boundary between purely evoking through audio visual media (as in film/video or non responsive installations) as opposed to giving the viewer feedback of what the effect is of the evoked state? And how to combine the two? And does the way the artworks response have to change over time, to keep the viewers attention and avoid boredom, or should is stay the same if the bodily response is the same?In my own work I have similar questions although in the Emotion Lights I am exploring the  relevance of the affective computing approach. Picard has made very useful contributions to this field and has obtained high scores of machine accuracy in classifying emotions from physiological input . (see: 'Toward machine emotional intelligence: analysis of affectivephysiological state' by Rosalind Picard, Jennifer Healey and Elias Vyzas, MIT Media Laboratory <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel5/34/20643/00954607.pdf?temp=x>) <<We need more research like this!>>However, the sensors they used are fairly invasive (some wet electrodes and belt sensor for respiration) and I find this unsatisfactory in the context of an artwork. I would like the viewer to be able to experience the work in a less 'medical' way. If people have to get electrodes attached first it changes the work to bring all sorts of associations and it also becomes more performative (though I don't mind the performance part on it's own). The trade off is less accuracy in the data and hence a much less scientific starting point. This a problem I think, but you could argue the other way. Much depends on the presentation of the work: Does it claim to be scientific , i.e. visualize particular emotional or cognitive states or does it merely provide a pattern of some sorts which is physiologically related but it leaves the viewer to discover how exactly it does relate? And if you try to make it relate to anyone who interfaces with it, are the trade offs simply too much? (i.e the chances are that if there is no individual calibration, that the artwork won't make any sense to some people other than imaginary sense... or is that the purpose of art, to stimulate the imagination, rather than cure or teach?)Too many questions... I know!Dare anyone try and answer some (or one) of them?Yours, Adinda> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 01:29:39 +1100> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] Making physiologically responsive interactive art with heart rate variability data (for Adinda)> To: [log in to unmask]> > on 4/1/09 10:41 PM, adinda van 't klooster at [log in to unmask] wrote:> >> I am interested however, in how far you in your work make an assessment of the>> person's emotions or mental state and what  exactly are you looking at and how>> does this change over time? Which bit of information do you get when someone>> stays wired up for 10 minutes, and  why does it take that long to get it? What>> are the certainties that can be obtained from the  heart rate data and which>> bits remain vague?> > Hi Adinda (and all the other makers of physiologically responsive works out> there!)> > This is going to be a very technical 'think aloud' reflection around> biofeedback signal analysis and what it can mean - so curators beware!> > --> > The present direction I¹m heading in, is towards an approach in which> participants explore their ability to influence the work with whichever> emotions or breathing rhythms they want to try out. I suppose its very> proscriptive of me (maybe its just a phase I need to move through, and then> onto some alternate approach) - but I¹m looking for that ŒA-HA¹ moment that> happens in clinical biofeedback, when participants think ­ "wow, I just> shifted the patterning of my heart rhythms by thinking (feeling) about> something melancholy/joyous", and then conversely "mmm, I¹ve just spent 20> minutes focused on my heart and breathing ­ I¹d like to have more moments in> my life when I can feel this settled and present to my self" ­ I know fully> that you cant really design a persons response, but a goal like this can> help prioritise certain design/copywriting and evaluational goals.> > So the interpretive materials would need to communicate the varieties of> emotional/attentive orientation that can be used to influence autonomic> nervous balance, and convey the time fames in which these transformations> unfold from.> > Using spectrum analysis of Heart Rate Variability to explore> psychophysiological interactions:> > The slowest band of frequencies in a short-term HRV (heart rate variability)> spectrum analysis is between 0.005 Hz and 0.05 Hz (around one wave-cycle> every three minutes).> > In order to obtain reliable results from an FFT analysis, you need at least> double that period (nyquist rate) - so that's why it takes so long before> you can obtain a reading, unless we can time travel!. If you want to compare> relative amplitudes of the three key fq bins (VLF, LF and HF) then you need> to wait till you have recorded the slowest fq.> > There is a general agreement around the delineation of three key frequency> bands within short term HRV spectrograms> > HF (between 0.15 Hz and 0.4 Hz)> LF (between 0.05 and 0.15Hz) and> VLF (less than 0.015 Hz)> ULF is connected to circadian rhythms, but can only be measured over 24 hour> continuous recordings.> > Where it gets hard is in the interpretation of the relative amplitudes of> these bins in relation to each other, and what these ratios mean (i.e.> HF:LF, VLF:LF etc.).> > Standard texts correlate increased HF to increased respiratory sinus> arrhythmia (influence of breathing movements on vagus nerve) and by> extension increased parasympathetic arousal (rest-digest, calm, peaceful> etc.). Increased LF is then correlated to increased Sympathetic arousal -> and there's not much about VLF except that it may be connected with body> temperature regulation.> > But this is where it gets tricky - because if you slow your breathing down> to 6 cycles per minute (like many forms of breath meditation) - then your> breathing will cause your HRV to resonate at around 0.01 Hz - and its clear> to the person doing this that they are feeling very restful and not involved> in a typical sympathetic nervous system response.> > Biofeedback researchers Paul Lehrer and Evgeny & Vaschillo have referred to> this 0.01 Hz resonance as (not surprisingly) the HRV 'resonant peak> frequency', and it is the result of resonances between breathing, heart rate> and blood pressure. They have done some excellent research into how this> correlates to certain breath-based meditation techniques, and consider the> range of health benefits these practices may provide, in relation to how> they may be exercising certain HRV reflexes (please excuse the over> simplifications here).>  > Checkout Paul Lehrer's paper with Yuji Sasaki and Yoshihiro Saito:> "Zazen and Cardiac Variability" (1999)> http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/6/812> Šthis paper gives a good introduction and explores HRV spectral data in> relation to zazen meditation practices.> > During HRV resonance, energy is concentrated into a single peak frequency,> so typically you'll have a peak around 0.01 hz - in the LF band (but lower> if breathing is slower?), while the VLF and HF bands are very low. In THIS> context - some biofeedback practitioners have suggested the presence of> increased VLF as indicative of rumination. I'm inclined to agree, based on> my own observations in a clinical biofeedback session, but I've not yet> found any published test results to support this claim.> > On reflection, I think I'll probably end up designing my new works around> this resonant phenomenon - which could simplify the interpretive> requirements a bit too.> > The idea of creating interactions that can facilitate physiological> conditions similar to those obtained during breath based meditation is very> appealing to me (again, I'm cautious not to reduce meditative practice to> physiological states!).> > In this case, I'd be tracking increased 'resonance' i.e. Simplicity of> spectral profile and resonant frequency vs. complexity and distribution of> spectral profile. > > This would suggest various 'conical/funnel-shaped' interaction spaces/axes,> all directed towards or away from HRV resonance, and then responsive to the> specific frequency of that resonance (I'm not talking here about a physical> space in a gallery, but a mathematical space describing the range of> possible positions one occupy within a set of sensor data coordinates).> > How would one then describe to audiences some approaches to interacting with> such a work without sounding too prescriptive and new agey? A game like> challenge to see if you can focus your heart rate pattern into a single fq,> though a combination of slow breathing, and calmness could be one approach -> but the idea of 'gaming' as its understood by the wider general public,> seems at odds with the intensely meditative states I'm encouraging people to> explore during their interaction with the work.> > Maybe a visual map of the above mentioned conical /funnel space, would be a> good start - but visitors would still need to understand what HRV spectral> analysis is/means - and if this post is anything to go by - you can see If> still got a long way to go!!> > Using a map-like visual representation of the interaction space as an> interpretive design, also opens the way for a less goal-oriented engagement> (I can still remember being collected from the beautiful virtual wilderness,> by attendants in BLAST THEORY'S 'Dessert Rain' show, after all the other> players had collected their tokens - I was too busy smelling the flowers!)> > The map delineates the boundaries of the interaction space, and leaves the> participant free to explore the space at will. Participants can also compare> their experiences with each other by way of talking about the different> journeys they made through this 'interaction space' during their engagement> with the work.> > > Cheers> > > Dr. George Poonkhin Khut> > > Mobile 0417 566 425 (International 61 417 566 425)> E-mail [log in to unmask]> URL http://www.georgekhut.com/> 73 Edward Street> Darlington, NSW 2008
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