The creation of artifacts is one of the factors that make us human. Artifacts contribute to our continual adaptation to the world by permitting better knowledge and control of it. The focus of this chapter is on the role of one specific kind of artifact: sensors. In contrast to our immediate perception of the world from our senses, sensors provide large amount of reliable measurements of the physical world that enhance human cognitive capacities in overcoming our perceptual limitations. However, “raw” sensor data require interpretation that relies on different types of expertise and knowledge to provide relevant meaning for human (adaptive) purposes. We suggest that a cognitive approach to understanding the differences between the different types of knowledge provided by current sensors as artifacts and the human senses is of interest. This approach questions the conception of human cognition as an analytic system of processing information from the world rather than as one which interprets and gives meanings to the world. We posit that understanding the differences between human and artificial sensors can shape a new era of technological advancement that is uniquely collaborative insofar as it would rely on the partnership of scientists working in the Humanities and in the Natural Sciences. In this article we provide some data from cognitive research that outline the beginnings of a pluridisciplinary endeavor to conceive sensors which integrate performances of artifacts and the diversity and richness of human cognition, with the goal of transforming so-called “intelligent” devices into cognitive sensors.
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The aim of this study is to unpack the value of ethnographic research as a relevant methodology for studying and developing new business models. A pop-up store we ran for three months in 2020 served as a testlab to experiment with value creation around buying, swapping and borrowing secondhand clothing. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-aplonia-poldner-a003473/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/overdiek12345/
A previous review concluded that postural sway is increased in patients with low back pain (LBP). However, more detailed analysis of the literature shows that postural deficit may be dependent on experimental conditions in which patients with LBP have been assessed. The research question to be answered in this review was: " Is there any difference in postural sway between subjects with and without LBP across several sensory manipulation conditions?" A literature search in Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and PsychInfo was performed followed by hand search and contact with authors. Studies investigating postural sway during bipedal stance without applying external forces in patients with specific and non-specific LBP compared to healthy controls were included. Twenty three articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Most studies reported an increased postural sway in LBP, or no effect of LBP on postural sway. In a minority of studies, a decreased sway was found in LBP patients. There were no systematic differences between studies finding an effect and those reporting no effect of LBP. The proportion of studies finding between-group differences did not increase with increased complexity of sensory manipulations. Potential factors that may have caused inconsistencies in the literature are discussed in this systematic review.
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This project develops a European network for transdisciplinary innovation in artistic engagement as a catalyst for societal transformation, focusing on immersive art. It responds to the professionals in the field’s call for research into immersive art’s unique capacity to ‘move’ people through its multisensory, technosocial qualities towards collective change. The project brings together experts leading state-of-the-art research and practice in related fields with an aim to develop trajectories for artistic, methodological, and conceptual innovation for societal transformation. The nascent field of immersive art, including its potential impact on society, has been identified as a priority research area on all local-to-EU levels, but often suffers from the common (mis)perception as being technological spectacle prioritising entertainment values. Many practitioners create immersive art to enable novel forms of creative engagement to address societal issues and enact change, but have difficulty gaining recognition and support for this endeavour. A critical challenge is the lack of knowledge about how their predominantly sensuous and aesthetic experience actually lead to collective change, which remains unrecognised in the current systems of impact evaluation predicated on quantitative analysis. Recent psychological insights on awe as a profoundly transformative emotion signals a possibility to address this challenge, offering a new way to make sense of the transformational effect of directly interacting with such affective qualities of immersive art. In parallel, there is a renewed interest in the practice of cultural mediation, which brings together different stakeholders to facilitate negotiation towards collective change in diverse domains of civic life, often through creative engagements. Our project forms strategic grounds for transdisciplinary research at the intersection between these two developments. We bring together experts in immersive art, psychology, cultural mediation, digital humanities, and design across Europe to explore: How can awe-experiences be enacted in immersive art and be extended towards societal transformation?
In de ontwikkeling van voedingsmiddelen draait alles om smaak. Eten moeten vooral lekker zijn, toch? Om smaak en andere producteigenschappen in kaart te brengen wordt sensorisch onderzoek (SO) uitgevoerd. In de praktijk gebeurt dit vaak onder suboptimale omstandigheden vanwege bijvoorbeeld onvoldoende beschikbaarheid van panelleden en een gebrek aan tijd. Belangrijke beslissingen worden vervolgens gebaseerd op onbetrouwbare, invalide resultaten. Er is daarom een behoefte naar snelle, betrouwbare en valide methodieken. Daarbij geldt dat voedselkeuze een complex proces dat verder gaat dat het analytisch beoordelen van producteigenschappen. Zo kan de context van consumptie van invloed zijn op de perceptie van smaak. In het sensorisch onderzoeksveld is hier steeds meer aandacht voor. Hiermee beweegt SO zich richting consumentenonderzoek (CO). De overlap en wederzijdse beïnvloeding van elementen uit SO en CO zijn relevant tijdens verschillende fases van het productontwikkelingsproces. In dit postdoconderzoek zal Vera van Stokkom een snelle en flexibele onderzoeksmethode ontwikkelen en valideren. Elementen van SO en CO zullen geïntegreerd worden in een methodiek onder de werktitel Rapid Sensory & Consumer Modules Tool (RSCM-tool). De methodiek zal worden gericht op de productcategorie groenten. Groenten passen bij uitstek in een gezond en duurzaam voedingspatroon. Ook zal worden onderzocht of de RSCM-tool kan worden ingezet bij ouderen, omdat bij ouderen achteruitgang in sensorische perceptie plaatsvindt. Met dit postdoconderzoek wordt kennis en ervaring opgedaan over de toepassing van een nieuwe sensorische onderzoeksmethodiek (RSCM) die uiterst relevant is voor onderzoek met, en onderwijs op het gebied van voeding. Dit postdoconderzoek valt onder het Research and Innovation Centre Agri, Food & Life Sciences van Hogeschool Inholland. Naast een verbreding en verdieping op de onderzoekslijn Gezondheid in de Metropool en het domeinoverstijgende onderzoeksprogramma Food for Happy Ageing, zal dit onderzoek bijdragen aan duurzame curriculuminnovatie binnen de opleiding Food Commerce and Technology en de profilering van Hogeschool Inholland als kennispartner.
This project aims to develop a measurement tool to assess the inclusivity of experiences for people with varying challenges and capabilities on the auditory spectrum. In doing so, we performed an in-depth exploration of scientific literature and findings from previous projects by Joint Projects. Based on this, we developed an initial conceptual model that focuses on sensory perception, emotion, cognition, and e[ort in relation to hearing and fatigue. Within, this model a visitor attraction is seen as an “experienscape” with four key elements: content, medium, context, and individual. In co-creative interviews with experts by experience with varying challenges on the auditory spectrum, they provided valuable insights that led to a significant expansion of this initial model. This was a relevant step, as in the scientific and professional literature, little is known about the leisure experiences of people with troubled hearing. For example, personal factors such as a person’s attitude toward their own hearing loss and the social dynamics within their group turned out to greatly influence the experience. The revised model was then applied in a case study at Apenheul, focusing on studying differences in experience of their gorilla presentation amongst people with varying challenges on the auditory spectrum.Societal issueThe Netherlands is one of the countries in Europe with the highest density of visitor attractions. Despite this abundance, many visitor attractions are not fully accessible to everyone, particularly to visitors with disabilities who sometimes are not eligible to ride due to safety concerns, yet when eligible generally still encounter numerous barriers. Accessibility of visitor attractions can be approached in various ways. However, because the focus often lies on operational and technical aspects (e.g., reducing stimuli at certain times of the day by turning o[ music, o[ering alternative wheelchair entrances), strategic and community-focused approaches are often overlooked. More importantly, there is also a lack of attention to the experience of visitors with disabilities. This becomes apparent from several studies from Joint Projects, where visitor attractions are being visited together with experts by experience with various disabilities. Nevertheless, experience is often being regarded as the 'core product' of the leisure sector. The right to meet, discover, develop, relax and thus enjoy this core product is hindered for many people with disabilities due to a lack of knowledge, inaccessibility (physical, digital, social, communicative as well as financial) and discrimination in society. Additionally, recreation entrepreneurs still face a significant gap in reaching the potential market of guests with disabilities and their networks. Thus, despite the numerous initiatives in the leisure sector aimed at improving accessibility on technical and operational fronts, often people with disabilities are still not being able to experience the same kind of enjoyment as those without. These observations form the pressing impetus for initiating the current research project, tapping into the numerous opportunities for learning, development and growth on making leisure offer more inclusive.Benefit to societyIn total, the current project approach comes with a number of enrichments in terms of both knowledge and methodology: a mixed-methods approach that allows for comparing data from different sources to obtain a more complete picture of the experience; a methodological co-design process that honours the 'nothing about us without us' principle; and benchmarking for a group (i.e., people with challenges on the auditory spectrum) that despite the size of its population has thus far mostly been overlooked.
