For this Making assignment, we decided to create a meaningful connection between two individuals by having them listen to each other’s heartbeat in a contactless manner. Initially, we proposed having the participants face each other while maintaining eye contact to provide a sense of intimacy. Each person would wear headphones connected to a heartbeat monitoring device, such as a stethoscope, which allows them to listen to their partner’s heartbeat. Since the assignment was for people to have meaningful connections, however, we considered enhancing the experience by separating the participants so they could not see each other. For that we decided to place a partition in front of their seats which would drop down at the end of the experiment so that the participants would be able to see each other and contextualize their partner. This was our first alternative. Below is a rough sketch we made. It might not be too clear, but you should be able to make out the table, chairs, and partition.
Then, we refined our approach to create an even more meaningful experience by having the participants interact anonymously. To achieve this, we decided to remove the partition and instead place the participants in separate rooms or divide the room with a wall. Our plan was to have the room dimly lit to diminish their sense of sight, thereby enhancing their other senses, particularly hearing. In this way, each person could concentrate on the sound of the heartbeat more intently. Additionally, we considered using speakers to amplify the heartbeat sounds, so that each person could not only hear the heartbeat, but also feel the vibrations. Following is a rough sketch of this version.
Finally, instead of vibrations, we thought of using a pin screen to have the two people interact with each other. Since the screen constantly changes based on each push, it provides for a more realistic contactless interaction experience. We also had to figure out how to record the heartbeat after being in separate rooms. For that, we decided to use a fitness watch.
To facilitate the in-class demonstration, we have sample heartbeats ready to be played.