Neuro
Design
Angela Vujic
Sonia Litwin
Angela Vujic is a PhD researcher at the MIT Media Lab. She works at the intersection of computer science, neuroscience and design to develop biosensing technology for mental and emotional health.
Motivated by discoveries linking gut health to mental health, Angela sought to start a new area in her field coined gut-brain computer interfacing (GBCI). She developed and tested a GBCI that could enable individuals to sense and modulate their gut state, with the goal of connecting it to their mental wellbeing.
Previously, she completed her bachelor’s in computer science at Georgia Tech and was part of the GT BrainLab. She invented MoodLens, a novel fiber optic display integrated in EEG glasses, built to help individuals with severe paralysis express emotion via eye contact.
Angela is a NSF GRFP fellow. She has presented internationally, first-authored prestigious peer-reviewed publications, and won multiple awards for her work.
Motivated by discoveries linking gut health to mental health, Angela sought to start a new area in her field coined gut-brain computer interfacing (GBCI). She developed and tested a GBCI that could enable individuals to sense and modulate their gut state, with the goal of connecting it to their mental wellbeing.
Previously, she completed her bachelor’s in computer science at Georgia Tech and was part of the GT BrainLab. She invented MoodLens, a novel fiber optic display integrated in EEG glasses, built to help individuals with severe paralysis express emotion via eye contact.
Angela is a NSF GRFP fellow. She has presented internationally, first-authored prestigious peer-reviewed publications, and won multiple awards for her work.
Sonia is a Biomedical Engineer and Designer.
Her research advances the contemporary understanding of human interaction with artificial agents and bionic technology. She has a special interest in computational design, robotics, advanced 3D printing, and environmental psychology.
She aims to have a near-term impact on the world by producing new science that is seminal to understanding human visual perception. Her research focuses on issues of aesthetics and nuanced human experiences that can be decoded from the neural activity of the brain.
Her current projects harness advanced neuroscience, cognitive agents, and affective computing to investigate issues of mental well-being, planning, and computational design of the built environment. Her work revolves around maximizing the human condition by scientifically exploring the blurring line between natural and artificial.
Sonia serves as a human factors and design consultant on projects that develop human assistive technology.
Her research advances the contemporary understanding of human interaction with artificial agents and bionic technology. She has a special interest in computational design, robotics, advanced 3D printing, and environmental psychology.
She aims to have a near-term impact on the world by producing new science that is seminal to understanding human visual perception. Her research focuses on issues of aesthetics and nuanced human experiences that can be decoded from the neural activity of the brain.
Her current projects harness advanced neuroscience, cognitive agents, and affective computing to investigate issues of mental well-being, planning, and computational design of the built environment. Her work revolves around maximizing the human condition by scientifically exploring the blurring line between natural and artificial.
Sonia serves as a human factors and design consultant on projects that develop human assistive technology.
Interdisciplinary
Collaboration
Situated in urban architecture, interactive art, affective neuroscience, and gestalt psychology, we are exploring the fundamental geometric components of a forest that invoke our positive emotions, that can then be integrated into urban environments to improve cognitive well-being. We are using readily available consumer EEG devices to measure emotions in a scientifically validated method from research at MIT, that can be made accessible to a greater number of people.
In this project, we have an upcoming presentation at the Media Lab 99Friday event series, a student-led reception which seeks to provoke discussion on societal issues. Past themes have included the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the threat of AI, billionaire and religious extremism doomsday prepping, and the existential threat of extraterrestrial life. Each event includes numerous art installations that invitees interact with, where Image of the Forest will be one of them.
We are also collaborating on a research study to be part of a publication, and have recorded a pilot lab session analyzing EEG brain response to the Image of the Forest Fourier dataset. The goal of the study is to compare the emotional brain response to Fourier abstractions of nature versus other environments and fundamental shapes, and contribute to the field of neuroaesthetics.
Contributors
Development
Ars Electronica Founding Lab 2024
The Founding Lab is realized as a Public Partnership between Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG and the Institute of Digital Sciences Austria and financed through funds from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
https://ars.electronica.art/university/en/
Discovery process
Campbell Orme: Product Design Lead for XR, Meta Reality Labs
Dietmar Offenhuber: Associate Professor and Chair of the department of Art + Design at Northeastern University, with a secondary appointment in the school of Public Policy
Visuals
iulia ionescu: Programme Director Creative Computing & Robotics, University of the Arts London ⊹ Artist & Technologist