Biography
Pinyao became a research intern at the iSpace lab in July 2019 and started his Masters in Fall 2020. He has a background in Engineering and is always fascinated by the intersection of design and emerging technology. His current research interests involve interaction design in XR and employing technology as a medium to create meaningful experiences.
Projects
InExChange
InExChange: Fostering Genuine Social Connection through Embodied Breath Sharing in Mixed Reality InExChange is an interactive mixed reality experience centering around an inflatable vest which conveys a physical sense of shared breathing on the diaphragm between two or more participants. The experience is composed of three acts in which the participants' breaths are transformed into metapho...
Virtual Earthgazing
During months-long missions, Astronauts experience various aspects of social isolation and confinement. Our main aim is to study the feasibility of a virtual reality sensory stimulation augmentation called Virtual Earthgazing (VE). The VE experience is designed to elicit an “overview effect” of the Earth and induce the feeling of awe, which has been shown to expand time perception, increase e...
Flow
Flow is a prototype of a real-time interactive installation with Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology, aimed at evoking social connection through bio-signal sharing. The Muse™ headband would stream user’s EEG (brain wave) data and PPG (breathing) data into Unity 3D engine using LSL (Lab Streaming Layer). The generated visualization interact subtly with the participant's breathing pattern...
Virtual Transcendent Dream
Flying dreams have the potential to evoke a feeling of empowerment (or self-efficacy, confidence in our ability to succeed) and self-transcendent experience (STE), which have been shown to contribute to an individual’s overall well-being. However, these exceptional dreaming experiences remain difficult to induce at will. Inspired by the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) to support profound emoti...
Breath of Light
One must first come to know, through observing oneself — just what one does with breathing. - Elsa Gindler Breath of light is a generative interactive installation, exhibited at the 13th Shanghai Biennale. The installation aims to foster a feeling of connection and awareness through the process of breathing synchronization. Each of the two participants generates their own light with their breat...
Connected through "AWE": creating immersive experiences for social connection
Do you get enough “awe” in your life? In our busy day-to-day lives, we often take our experiences for granted. While we have the technology to connect with one another, like smart phones, we don’t necessarily get outside with nature, or stargaze. Such activities may consist of common awe-inspiring moments, and we now understand that feeling awe is associated with all sorts of social and well...
