Where Is The Quiet: Immersive Experience Design Using the Brain, Mechatronics, and Machine Learning

'Where Is The Quiet?' is a mixed-media installation that utilizes immersive experience design, mechatronics, and machine learning in order to enhance wellness and increase connectivity to the natural world. Individuals interact with the installation by wearing a brainwave interface that measures the strength of the alpha wave signal. The interface then transmits the data to a computer that uses it in order to determine the individual's overall state of relaxation. As the individual achieves higher states of relaxation, mechatronic instruments respond and provide feedback. This feedback not only encourages self-awareness but also it motivates the individual to relax further. Visitors without the headset experience the installation by watching a film and listening to an original musical score. Through the novel arrangement of technologies and features, 'Where Is The Quiet?' demonstrates that mediated technological experiences are capable of evoking meditative states of consciousness, facilitating individual and group connectivity, and deepening awareness of the natural world. As such, this installation opens the door to future research regarding the possibility of immersive experiences supporting humanitarian needs.