HOME OF THE FUTURE
Living sustainably can be difficult, but in a future scenario when one cannot even step out due to the diminished air quality, being planet conscious is the only attempt at survival.The project uses sense-hacking to make resource conservation simple, sustainable living easier and enhance the experience of living indoors.
SPECULATIVE VR DESIGN PROJECT
Project Context
Sensory perception is not only a set of empirical phenomena, but also deeply intertwined with cultural cognition. Even though there are several scientific approaches to classifying the senses that expand the classic five, the understanding of human senses varies across cultures as well, and different peoples throughout the world attribute different cognitive significance to sensory perceptions or lack thereof.
This project aims to explore sensory perception from empirical observations and cultural studies (sensory studies), in order to develop contextual sensory understandings and creative sensory art and design possibilities.
Sense Hacking
Sensation is fundamental to our existence, the only information that reaches us about outward events appears to pass through the avenue of our senses. Sensehacking understands the unique capacities of each of our senses and how they interact with each other, to help us use the power of
the senses and sensory stimulation to improve our emotional, social and cognitive well-being.
In his most recently published book ‘Sensehacking’
, Experimental Psychology expert Prof. Charles Spence from Oxford University, describes what he calls the science of sensehacking: By avoiding sensory overload, sensory imbalance and sensory conflict, every one of us has the sensory tools at our disposal to help us live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives
RELEVANCE TO PROJECT
Living sustainably can be difficult, but in a future scenario when one cannot even step out due to the diminished air quality, being planet conscious is the only attempt at survival. We use sensehacking throughout our project to make resource conservation simple, sustainable living easier and enhance the experience of living indoors.
EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES
SENSORIUM
This project is based on creating a living space that enables audiences to experience life in one possible future.
The idea is to create a future as close to real data projections as possible but still paint a picture of hope for survival through the elements present in the living space.
FUTURE FOOD
Creating experimental plates that could communicate the future in a bite. Initial
research showed us that some of our most loved ingredients harmed the planet terribly and some of the plant based ingredients could soon be
extinct too, this made it a perfect project to communicate the importance of sustainable consumption.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES WE EXPLORED
STORE FROM THE FUTURE
An online website that would communicate what all productswould be available in the future, nudging users to use resources sustainably, while giving them constant visual and auditory input to impact their purchases. This project seemed
more like a smaller part of a large project than a project ttself.
"YOU LOVE IT" BOTTLE
All of us often find it difficult to consume healthy drinks, what if we could trick
our brain into believing it was a tasty milkshake or aerated soft drink or anything one likes?
The YouLoveIt Bottle does exactly that! It plays on the sense of sight and sound to alter the taste
CONSCIOUS CONSUMER
The Conscious Consumer projectidea was based on nudging peopleto purchase sustainably, a dome would be placed in public spaces that would tell people the real cost of different products. knowing the real cost of their purchases would help people be more mindful about what they purchase and more important what they discard.
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
The past decade has seen a raging concern in the matters of environmental degradation. We have been witnessing the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution for quite some time now. It is only a matter of time until we witness the impending doom of the human species and eventually other living organisms.
While these threats are real, the greatest danger we face now, when viewed
from a global perspective, probably lies elsewhere. Many of the global systems are nearly saturated to breaking point. There is a growing need to address these concerns. While the data points towards a dystopian future, we continue with our destructive actions - failing to understand the consequences.
We want to make the consequences understandable and help everyone change their present-day actions, by using sense hacking and drawing from existing cultures and practices that promote eco-centric lifestyles.
CHALLENGES
How might we draw on existing cultural practices and use the power of sense hacking to help everyone understand the future consequences of our actions on the planet, and transition towards more sustainable futures by nudging their present-day choices for long-term impact.
Few Projects We Looked At :
Earth 2050. Neo Fruits. Bizzare Honor. Tea 2030. Eco Coin. Future Plates
NEED FOR THE PROJECT
In the age of big data, we are all well aware of what the numbers tell us
about global warming, climate change, the over-pressured agricultural sector, and the apocalyptic future of our planet, yet we do not change our
actions.
This is because human beings are not data processing machines but
emotion-driven organisms and no amount of data can convey to us what a
direct, tangible, and emotional experience can.
This is where our project comes in, it helps audiences experience data by converting numbers into tangible artifacts, it creates a sense of urgency and the desire to create a better future. Building on this desire, we move from mere immersion to actual impact by creating interventions that give actionable next steps to transition towards sustainable futures.
We believe that creating concrete experiences can bridge the disconnect
between today and tomorrow by starting a dialogue to help people think
about the future.
APPROACHES
Research Driven - Research will take a central role in our design process and decisions, some of the research we intend to conduct includes mapping anthropogenic impact on the environment, understanding the role of culture, facilitating sessions to understand future citizen’s fears and dreams for the world.
Ecocentric + Non-anthropocentric - Placing importance and focusing on the betterment of the ecosystem and all the elements that it comprises. A way of life that is more in line with nature and accommodates our natural constraints and helps us to act as stewards for the environment around us.
Resilient Systems - Systems that have the capacity to cope with stress and local failures without collapsing.
Behaviour Design - We intend to use design to shape or influence human behavior to promote sustainable living.
DESIGN PRACTICES
Systems Design
System design is an area in design that involves planning and defining multiple components, modules, interfaces, and data that make up a system.
Speculative Design
This area of design confronts traditional design methods. It is a kind of design that is used as a tool, not only to create things but also ideas. It is a means of speculating how things could be - to imagine possible futures. By speculating, designers re-think alternative products, systems, and worlds.
Experience + Multisensory Design
This niche area in design focuses on combining the five human senses and incorporating them together to create an experience that impacts users and enables them to react in different ways.
RESEARCH
In order to understand what the world would look like in 2055, and more specifically what Bangalore would look like in 2055, we took a deep dive in data projections to develop a broad understanding of the world in terms of resource availability, living regions, living conditions, laws or rules to ensure survival, and other factors. The topics we researched and developed a deep understand of are :
FOOD
ELECTRICITY
AGRICULTURE
WATER
WASTE
MANAGEMENT
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AIR QUALITY
IDEATION
To get into the flow when we started our ideation sessions we began with doing a Silly Cow exercise - we created a cow with features and super powers that we felt desirable from poop cleaning systems to milk bottling features, this allowed us to stretch our thinking abilities.
We then did a session of Daily Dally, where we drew 30 circles on a sheet and used them to create daily objects, from alarm clocks to traffic lights, this helped us think within constraints. After effectively manipulating our brains like rubber bands we decided to ideate potential forms to effectively develop and communicate our
sensorium.
We developed multiple ideas for creating an immersive living space.
CHANGES
The constantly changing Covid-19 scenario reduced our ability to access the campus, without the required tools from the workshop and a dedicated space to create this room on campus we could not go ahead with this idea. We swapped out the life sized room for a miniature home of the future, fitted with a VR camera, we ideated to create a fully immersive and interactive space for the audiences
through the use of a VR headset and remote controls that enable clickability using AR.
INITIAL IDEA
After oscillating between creating a pod, a virtual reality experience, and some other potential ideas, we decided to create a room from the future. This life sized room would enable audiences to not only fully immerse themselves in a space but even interact with the thoughtfully created artefacts to understand how living in a possible future could feel.
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BECOMING CULTURED
Taking the seminar 2 feedback in stride, we decided to dive into the cultural angle. We observed our surroundings and documented varied cultural practices in our journals. Our understanding of the future (from our data projections and research) along with the
historical significance of some cultural practices helped us narrow down on the practices
From Bento Boxes to Mess and School Dining Hall plates: Different ways of portioning meals in Asian countries.
Prayer spaces in different homes to keep individuals calm and centred as they express gratitude (what if people worshiped more nature than any other form of gods).
The easiest and most inexpensive way of being mindful of your water usage when you bathe.
Traditional composts, fully utilising every left over morsel.
MODEL MAKING
Despite all adversities we managed to pull together and complete our model, even accounting for a changing work and learning scenario, diminishing air quality and its impact on people’s ability to step out, and even the over pressured agricultural system requiring individuals to produce their own crop for sustenance.
LIVING ROOM
Rightly called the “Living Room”, all things life happens here, from work to relaxation to meals.
STUDY AREA
The first pandemic of the 21st century made all of us realise the importance of work stations at home, the present lifestyle has only escalated this need. Working from home constantly also required multiple workspaces, an additional one next to the bed for that late night work session doesn't seem like a bad idea. Also doubles up as a great space for keeping laundry that needs to be placed inside.
UTILITY AREA
Nearly every home in India has a prayer space, yet builders continue to construct homes without these spaces, a curtain creates a partition in the utility area to give way to the pooja room.
THE BATHROOM
For small showers or big ideas, a bathroom that monitors your resource usage and helps you reduce
it while giving you space to keep the Eureka moments coming.
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THE BEDROOM
The sanctuary is designed for sleeping peacefully and waking up energetically (also, naturally). Doubles up as a workspace occasionally!
FEW IMPORTANT ARTEFACTS
SMART POT
Having a smart pot is like having a friend, it listens to what you say and responds with cute expressions, gives out compliments when you are in front of the mirror. That’s not all, the pot even indicates when the plant inside it needs water or nutrients, which is helpful for first-time plant cultivators.
WINDOW SCREENS
Due to overpopulation and a diminishing landmass, buildings are stacked next to each other wall to wall rarely having any more than 1 actual window, these faux windows have screens on them that can be controlled with a supporting app to show any visuals, ranging from mimicking the outdoor climate to views of the Everest or a board to play pictionary.
WEBSITE DESIGN
Along with the physical model, we created a website to show animations of how the artefacts would work, interactive videos of every space in the home for those who cannot actually see the model and detailed information about every space and every artefact.
Click on the below link to view the website and read about more artefacts
The Pure Water water filter has a filter that emits blue light around the dispenser hole and the sides, this color calms people down and increases their trust, the filter also releases sounds based on the Hz tuning theory that signal the brain to release dopamine and serotonin - this increases peoples’ trust in the water and has a calming effect on them.
WATER FILTER
An over-pressured agriculture sector saturated to breaking point, and a massive food shortage across the planet, led the ministry of sustainability and survival to mandate all blue and green cards (ration cards)
citizens to grow their fruits and greens.
HYDROPONICS
Every great design has an even better story. Ping me and let's exchange few stories :)