5-Minute Project Overview
Extended Explainer
Respiratory coupling of lung-mechanics to the contraction and expansion of virtual space.
Coupled oscillators with nearest-neighbor synchronization create emergent geometric patterns during breath retention phases.
Corresponding Author
George Fejer is a PhD candidate in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Konstanz, an affiliate of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, and a research affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
VR Developer
Till Holzapfel obtained a Master's in Cognitive Science from the University of Osnabrück, and worked as a lab manager for Intangible Realities Lab. His work is dedicated to designing immersive VR for facilitating transformative experiences.
VR Developer / Researcher
Taru Hirvonen provided invaluable guidance on integrating spatio-temporal oscillation dynamics into particles, enabling them to move in response to lung dynamics.
Computer Scientist / VR Developer
Anestis Lalidis Mateo is a Master's student and Research Assistant in Computer Science, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction and Audiovisual Computing with focus on VR/XR and biofeedback.
Mensch und Computer 2025 - Workshopband. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.. MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop "Be-greifbare Interaktion". Chemnitz. 31. August - 03. September 2025
The QRI HEART Workshop, held in Tepoztlán in 2024, provided valuable developer feedback and inspiration, offering a creative space that helped shape the aesthetic and technical direction of the Viscereality Project.
The Viscereality VR paradigm represents a novel innovation: the first ever 3D implementation of QRI's coupling kernel framework, extending their 2D coupling kernel simulation grid into immersive three-dimensional space. This approach allows users to experience oscillatory synchronization dynamics not just visually, but as a fully embodied spatial phenomenon coupled with their own physiological breathing rhythms.
Andrés Gómez Emilsson contributed the coupling kernel paradigm that underpins the oscillatory dynamics at the core of the system, a central theoretical and computational model guiding the bioresponsive synchronization of virtual and physiological rhythms. His work on cessation simulations and coupled oscillator dynamics informed key aspects of the system's design.
qri.org
Symmetric Vision provided invaluable advice contributing to the particle textures. With years of experience creating textures, his feedback greatly improved the aesthetics of our setup, helping refine the visual quality and immersive character of the particle-based environments.
symmetric-vision.xyzIn collaboration with the University of Sussex, we are adding cardiac coherence monitoring to complement the breath-responsive system. Based on HeartMath's resonance frequency research, the interface adapts in real-time to help users find their optimal breathing rate, where heart rhythm naturally synchronizes with respiration. Visual changes responding to coherence levels, providing intuitive feedback improve HRV metrics.
Cognitive Neuropsychologist | Co-Principal Investigator
Bigna Lenggenhager has several years of experience, having worked as a professor at the Universities of Zurich and Konstanz, with her research focusing on body-swap illusions and the plasticity of the bodily self.
Cognitive and Brain Scientist
Michael Gaebler is a cognitive neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute and leads the Mind-Body-Emotion Group. His research explores the relationship between mental processes and brain-body interactions.
Professor for Visual Computing | Principal Investigator
Oliver Deussen is a professor of Visual Computing at the University of Konstanz and a speaker of the Excellence Cluster. His research focuses on modeling and rendering complex systems.
VR Developer / Consultant
Johannes Blum is the Head of Research and Development at the Pädagogische Hochschule Schaffhausen. He previously worked on the development of Flowborne VR, a meditative breathwork experience.