Implementing an interactive sensory network THE ROOM develops into an empathic and responsive design. Several sensors are embedded on the skin of the body that trigger sound by touch. A sonic swarm is programed to operate like a sensitive skin that reacts to touch with different sensitivities manipulated by the audience. The tactile computing of these interfaces triggers and affects the qualities of several sound layers that also are programmed to grow. The skin of the body is activated as a tangible interface where sensing of touch and pressure on the surface triggers auditory responses.

The design process for this project starts with using an agent-based model that can morph and grow and adapt to changing parameters. For this purpose every cell is considered as the single particle of the virtual material. Particles in this system have defined characteristics and material properties, they sense their environment, self-organize and aggregate to form a cohesive body.

Scaling up the process and conceptualizing the human as a participant within an environment interacting with other components in the space, this swarm algorithm aims to create this immersive tangible body which attempts to transform the rectangular room into a self-organized body. The room is the bounding box and the human is an active agent shaping the form and body of the installation.

The emergent body in this project is generated from the parallel act of many low-level decision-making entities, as autonomous, bottom-up agents rather than being a solution by a single high-level decision maker.