SDM senior lecturer uses live brainwaves to sense emotions
School of Design & Media
Published on 15 Feb 2022
Imagine a theatre of the future: where an actor knows the emotions that his audience is experiencing, and can respond to them.
SDM’s senior lecturer, Ng Wen Lei - together with an independent arts practitioner, Serena Pang - has developed a brain-computer interface that could one day enable actors to better sense the reactions and emotions of an audience.
Their prototype, "A Space for Digital Attunement" is part of the Arts X Tech Lab showcase by the National Arts Council and its technology partner, the Keio-NUS Cute Centre. Wen Lei’s project is one of the 10 projects selected from 135 entries.
Wen Lei worked on this project as part of her research in data collection using biosensors. The prototype is currently a helmet that has multiple sensors.
She explains: “The brain-computer interface captures live brainwaves to determine the state the subject is in. For this iteration, it captures three states – relaxation, normal alert and heightened perception. Each state will generate different visual and sound compositions.”
Wen Lei teaches the Diploma in Interaction Design, focusing on areas such as interaction design, user experience design and immersive experiences. This project illustrates how technologies can be applied to different contexts.
As part of the future development for the project, she aims to develop a multi-audience experience where collective brainwaves can influence the lights and sounds of a performance.
The project was showcased at the National Museum Singapore from 15-18 Feb 2022.