Graduate Studies

Digital Futures (MA, MDes and MFA)

Georgina Yeboah

Personal Reactive Soft-Sensory Mechanics (P.R.S.M)

Personal Reactive Soft-Sensory Mechanics or P.R.S.M for short is an interactive desktop system that elicits calming 2D-visuals through soft touches. P.R.S.M consists of a prism-glass plant box, a projector and an interactive 4 by 4 soft-touch mat interface. Users can experience up to 4 different visualizations that resemble a type of flower through each of the 4 soft-touch pads on the mat. Applying pressure makes the visualization brighter and speed up the animation to its fullest. P.R.S.M was created in one of the courses I took during my time at OCADU: Body-Centric Technologies. It was an exploration for my thesis's research work on user engagement within interactive installation spaces. I wanted to explore the positive and calming outcomes produced by soft-touches within a stressful workspace environment. The visuals were inspired by the context of the prism-glass plant box. The animations incremental speed and vividness through pressure-touch were designed to help release tension and reinforce positivity and calmness to users.

“Meet Personal Reactive Soft-Sensory Mechanics or P.R.S.M for short. The desktop tool that indulges you with a soft-touch interface and presents you with 2D flower-like visuals through a prism-glass plant box. ”