Hyperlocal technologies
Hyperlocal provotype 1.0 - Listen up!
The hypothesis
How do different natural sound environments such as a forest setting versus an urban one, affect human physiological responses (e.g., heart rate, stress levels), and does actively engaging with these sounds through sensory experiences (smell, touch, and sound) enhance the calming effects and promote sustainable behaviour?
Method / How
I am creating a contrasting sensory experience to explore this question:
- Sound: Participants listen to two pre-recorded tracks, one featuring forest sounds and the other city sounds, using noise-canceling headphones.
- Smell & Touch: Participants hold a stick infused with a specific scent to evoke a forest-like atmosphere and city. They are encouraged to smell and interact with it.
- Physiological Data: Heart rate monitors track participants’ stress levels before and after
-Pre- and Post-Survey: Participants complete a brief survey before and after the experience, assessing stress levels, emotional responses, and thoughts on the urban and natural environments.
Why:
I want to see if positive interactions with natural environments can foster a deeper appreciation and sense of responsibility toward the natural world, which could lead to more eco-friendly actions and interest in taking part as a collective.
How?
Distribues action cards with simple, sustainable challenges, wellbeing activities and circular living techniques
Reconnects people to nature through pop up workshops and events
Showcases opportunities and resources together in one space
Why?
Cities are responsible for over 75% of natural resource use and up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, yet many citizens feel powerless in the face of climate challenges. Maker Change empowers people to shift from passive to active participation. Nature positively impacts our mental health and it is time to nurture nature. Through place based participatory co-design, local fabrication, and digital collaboration. The action cards and trees are adaptable to local needs on a global scale.
Improvements
After many iterations of the coded heart rate monitor I am not convinced it is accurate and I think it would have been good to ask more people, in different areas, expand the approach and to possibly have added all senses or built a walk through version. I have reached out to Joseph who will help me with my coding
Conclusion
How people act after their exposure to nature-based stimuli was interesting, as with almost everyone it took them somewhere, they felt more relaxed afterwards and all had said they would like to know ways in which they could nurture or take care of nature. It will be interesting to expand the field of people for this test and to compare results in areas further from nature. Some people said they could “zone out” the city noise and that it was almost accepted noise but that it contributes overall to a feeling of unease. The heart rate in everyone lowered after the forest track. Two people said whilst listening to the city noise they needed to actively touch the object to feel settled as it made them want to move. In the forest sounds around half the people closed their eyes during it where as in the city track no-one did. The key take away was that engaging peoples senses with nature brought them to a state of caring more deeply, this I can apply to my project and also it opens the floor to me using sensors for data potentially.