Theo2056: Love Machine

Theo2056 from Andrea Savard-B on Vimeo.

As part of The Urban Data Research Center, the 2 days workshop was dedicated to the design and fabrication of a speculative prototype that would engage discussions on probable visions of the future. The prototype was expected to gather innovative data on the urban environment.

The indefinable Genius Loci
Some urban environments are inexplicably romantic. What makes Venice romantic? Paris’ Pont des Arts? Falling in love is a chemical reaction based on external triggers – what if we underestimate the effect of the built environment? Can it make us fall in love?

Love is in the air
Theo2056 is a prototype of a new type of urban data collector created as a unprecedented attempt to link the influence of the built environment on love. It measures the “romanticness” of a place by collecting specific data (brainwaves, body heat, hormones) from the people passing by. Theo2056 was specifically designed to evoke an anthropomorphic shape to attract and engage with the people passing by.

The brain, similarly to a radio transmitter, sends out measurable electrical wave signals. At the root of all our thoughts, emotions and behaviours is the communication between neurons within our brains. Theo2056’s sensors will collect gamma brainwaves, which are highly active when experiencing love. It will also measure certain hormones secretions, like dopamine, a ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter that is associated with passion and addiction, and oxytocin, a hormone related to bonding.

The prototype was produced in collaboration with Chris Woebken and Elliott K. Montgomery from The Extrapolation Factory. The Extrapolation Factory is an imagination-based studio for design-led futures studies. The studio develops experimental methods for collaboratively prototyping, experiencing and impacting future scenarios. With this work, the studio is exploring the value of rapidly imagined, prototyped, deployed and evaluated visions of possible futures on an extended time scale.

Team: Denis Bondar & Jenya Uzhegova