A groundbreaking project, TeleAbsence, uses technologies to create illusory communication with the dead and past selves, providing a comforting way for people to cope with loss and plan how they might be remembered.
The MIT Media Lab‘s Tangible Media group has been working on TeleAbsence, a project that focuses on technologies that create illusory communication with the dead and past selves. ‘The recent publication of a positioning paper in PRESENCE: Virtual and Augmented Reality presents the design principles behind TeleAbsence and how it could help people cope with loss and plan for how they might be remembered.’
One key design principle of TeleAbsence is illusory communication, which allows users to reach out across time. ‘Even though users know the ‘conversation’ is one-way, researchers write, it can be comforting and cathartic to have a tangible way to connect with loved ones who are no longer present.’
Another important design principle of TeleAbsence is finding ways to make memories material. Projects like glass bottles that contain sounds and smells from the past aim to reunite users with their memories. ‘These technologies use sight and sound as primary modalities, as recording other senses like touch, smell, and taste is a significant challenge.’
The presence of absence is another pillar of TeleAbsence. Physical markers or traces of a person serve to remind us both of the person and that they are gone. ‘The permanent ‘shadow’ of Hiroshima Japanese resident Mitsuno Ochi, her silhouette transferred to stone steps 260 meters from where the atomic bomb detonated in 1945, is an example of this concept.’
Presence and absence are fundamental concepts in philosophy, psychology, and physics.
In a physical sense, presence refers to the state of being present or existing in a particular location or space.
A absence, on the other hand, is the state of not being present or existing.
Philosophers have debated the nature of 'they are mutually exclusive' states.
Research has also explored the psychological implications of “they are mutually exclusive” states, including feelings of loneliness and disconnection.
Abstracting memories is crucial for TeleAbsence. Researchers want something to recall a moment, not physically recreate it. ‘This approach allows users to imagine and connect with their past without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the experience.’
Xiao Xiao, director and principal investigator at the Institute for Future Technologies of Da Vinci Higher Education in Paris, played the piano her whole life. Her project MirrorFugue is a ‘deeply personal‘ endeavor that allowed her to travel to a time in her childhood almost lost to her.
The new MirrorFugue study puts some empirical data behind the concept of TeleAbsence. ‘The 28 participants were fitted with sensors to measure changes in their heart rate and hand movements during the experience.’ They were extensively interviewed about their perceptions and emotions afterward, providing valuable insights into the impact of TeleAbsence on users.
The MirrorFugue study is a research project focused on artificial intelligence-generated music.
It explores the intersection of AI, human creativity, and musical composition.
The study uses a novel approach to generate music by mirroring human compositional techniques.
Researchers analyze the generated music for its aesthetic value, structural complexity, and emotional resonance.
Preliminary findings suggest that AI-generated music can be indistinguishable from human-composed pieces in terms of quality and coherence.
Acutely aware of the potential ethical dangers of their research, the TeleAbsence scientists have worked with grief researchers and psychologists to better understand the implications of building these bridges through time. ‘They recognize that it depends on how long ago a person passed away and encourage users to consider curating ‘high-quality, condensed information’ that could be used for this purpose.’
Hiroshi Ishii wonders if TeleAbsence could someday become a common word to describe something that was there but is now gone. He emphasizes the importance of emptiness in our lives, suggesting that we should make more room for it and think poetically about presence and absence.
Hiroshi Ishii is a Japanese computer scientist and designer, best known for his work in the field of tangible media.
He is the Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ishii's research focuses on the development of new interfaces that combine digital and physical elements, such as the Tangible Media Group.
His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ACM SIGCHI Award for Lifetime Achievement in Human-Computer Interaction.
TeleAbsence presents a unique approach to communicating across time and coping with loss. By exploring poetic encounters with the past, researchers aim to create technologies that comfort and inspire users. ‘As we continue to develop these technologies, it is essential to consider their potential impact on our lives and relationships.’
