the universe on your sleeve
O.S.T.R.I.C.H. (Outer Space, Terrestrially Resonated In Cloaked Haptic-experiences) is a capsule collection of wearable earth suits that brings the experiences of different celestial phenomena down to earth.
Inspired by the NASA space suit EMU, O.S.T.R.I.C.H. enables individuals to hear cosmic occurrences by feeling—mimicking the experience of witnessing these events in the vacuum of space.
Earthlings nowadays are quite excited about the very real possibility of commercial space travel. This prospect, however, still does exclude the majority of Earth’s population, who may be keen on the idea but are unable to participate for a variety of reasons.
By simulating the data of various planetary atmospheric conditions as recorded during official space missions, O.S.T.R.I.C.H. aims to give those who have to stay grounded the opportunity to experience the cosmos—and the chance to better understand our universe—while staying on Earth.
/ / / The first piece of the collection—O.S.T.R.I.C.H. Jupiter—made its debut at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival. Check it out on my portfolio website!
POST-FESTIVAL UPDATES + REVELATIONS
The haptic experience is mapped onto the spine.
There are 31 nerve segments in a human spinal cord—so for O.S.T.R.I.C.H. Jupiter, there are 31 vibration motors to address each segment.
One of the spinal cord’s main functions is to transmit information to the brain, which means any information (nerve impulses) that reaches the spinal cord through sensory neurons are transmitted to the brain.
I thought it to be the perfect messenger to receive/send the cosmic data experiences out to the rest of the body. With a better budget and resources, the haptic experience can be enhanced by utilizing either stronger motors or a larger number of motors for each mapped segment.
