SPIN, a journey to the core of physicality

SPIN

There has always been a ‘natural’ gap between digital and physical environments. Sometimes you get a high level of immersion without a proper involvement of your body, while some other times you are a spectator in front of your physiological functions. In order to help bridging the gap Time’s Up, the Laboratory for Construction of Experimental Situation, has invented the Spherical Projection Interface (SPIN). This consists of a ball made of a special plastic with projector from outside showing virtual spaces. People can walk in the SPIN and are free to move in each direction making the ball moving itself. The sensors placed in the base detect the motion and forward the information to the software that project and adjust the images on the sphere according to its movements. The body and its biomechanical properties determine also the virtual world inside. The user in fact is equipped with a small body pack, the BODY SPIN, to allow real-time measurement of the necessary body functions. A system for muscle activity measurements, a breast belt to allow scanning of breathing frequency and a clocking device for pulse rate are all fed back into virtual environments projected upon the sphere. The intuitive navigation through simple walking allows a complete immersion in three different environments. The first is the Brain Maze which consists of a labyrinth based on the stress level: they higher the stress is the harder is to escape it. The Breath Surf is a virtual ocean with waves generated by the breathing of the test person. While in the Pulse race the visitor race with their own pulse in a tunnel that grows according to the beats. Time’s up claims that SPIN is, in factor of concepts, function and implementation, the best and most logical human-machine interface. It certainly is a journey to the core of your physicality.