abstract (250 words) This paper introduces the relationship between HCI and microorganisms with several prior papers’ examples. Almost all research introduced here is seeking how to achieve symbiosis with invisible microorganisms. Also, the author introduces the output works like art, research, and products from their research. Then the author describes his analysis results of these research tendencies and the methodologies. In the next section, the author argues not only his thought about the relationship between HCI and microorganisms but also his artwork idea. In conclusion, the author argues how human beings can achieve symbiosis with invisible creatures according to prior research and his thought.
introduction
introduce the research In HCI research field, there are many collaboration from adjacent fields to HCI such as exercise physiology, nutrition, sleep science, and cognitive and neurosciences. Inbodied interaction Our bodies are incredibly sophisticated sensors that create clear and strong signals whenever we deviate from a homeostatic state. This is important because we've evolved to interpret these signals as "telling" us how to get back to a "healthy" balance (e.g., thirst, hunger, sweat). However, many technology-mediated health tools encourage us to outsource this inherent internal knowledge and instead rely on data from external sources (e.g., Did I take enough steps today to be healthy? Did I get sufficient sleep last night to be well rested?), which becomes problematic and superficial when users come to rely on these external sources at the expense their intrinsic feelings.
私たちの身体は信じられないほど精巧なセンサーで、恒常的な状態から逸脱すると、明確で強力なシグナルを発します。これは、私たちがこれらの信号を「健康的な」バランスに戻る方法を「教えてくれる」と解釈して進化してきたため、重要です（例：渇き、空腹感、汗）。しかし、テクノロジーを介した多くの健康ツールは、このような内在する知識を外部委託し、代わりに外部ソースからのデータに頼ることを奨励しています（例：今日は健康であるために十分な歩数を歩いたか？しかし、ユーザーが自分の内的感情を犠牲にしてこれらの外部ソースに依存するようになると、これは問題であり表面的なものになります。 従来のHCIは病気を防ぐために自分の状態を数値化することであったが、Inbodied Interactionの目的は、人々が健康の数値表現ではなく、体の感じ方に注意を向けることができるように、感情、外部データ、パフォーマンス成果の関連付けを促進するデジタルツールをどのようにデザインできるかを探ることです。どのようにHCIツールをデザインすれば、ユーザーが自分自身の身体信号に関するリテラシーを身につけることを支援できるのでしょうか。 健康が良い悪いの２択ではなく、私たちの身体のプロセスは相互に関連し、依存し合っているため、あらゆる種類のパフォーマンス目標を成功させるには、身体全体を考慮する必要があります。
Inbodied Interaction strives to synthesize this knowledge into heuristics that accurately represent underlying implications for health, wellness, and performance.
私たちの体は私たちが存在する環境や文脈と根本的につながっているためInbodied Interactionは、コンテキストを意識し、常に変化する状況に敏感であるデザインを提案します
Inbodied Interaction suggests designs that are context-aware and sensitive to these ever-changing conditions.
データには、感情、成長、記憶など、情報以上のものが含まれていることがあり,
このようなデータ（例えば、幼少期の思い出）は、桁を越えて表現されるべきであり、例えば、より多様なインタラクションを可能にする物理的なインターフェースを用いることで、人々が意味のあるデータと深くつながることができると考えています。
データに物理的な形を与えることは、HCI（Human Computer Interaction）領域で「タンジブルインターフェース」という名で徹底的に研究されてきた。
本研究では、デオキシリボ核酸（DNA）によるデータの符号化、および遺伝子工学による生物の内部へのデータの埋め込みの可能性を探っています。
その利点（親和性、複製性）と限界（応答速度の遅さ、汚染）を提示し、生物をタンジブルインターフェースとして用いることの意味について議論します.
コンピューティングと遺伝子工学を駆使して、このデータを別の形、つまりデオキシリボ核酸（DNA）分子の形にしました。この分子を人間ではない別の生物、コマガタイバクター・ライエチカス（K. rhaeticus）細菌に埋め込んだのです。この遺伝子組換え細菌を培養して、元の童話のコピーを何十億枚も含むバイオフィルムにしたのです。最後に、このバイオフィルムを彫刻作品「Semina Aeternitatis」として美術展で発表しました
馬の頭蓋骨に重ねられたバクテリアのバイオフィルムは、バクテリアの中に隠された物語を示唆している。バイオフィルムは、嗅覚、触覚、味覚を通して体験できるようになった物語を埋め込んでいるのです。
学際的であるバイオアートは，芸術的目的のために生物を操作することの倫理性［15］，生命に対する共通の理解の拡大［35］，実験動物の殺害［30］，学際的研究でのコラボレーション［37］といったトピックに取り組んでいる
最近の研究では，バクテリアに基づく生物ゲームの開発[36]や，植物をディスプレイとして利用したり[40]，キノコをフィードバックシステムとして利用するなど，遊び心を持って生物に関わることが行われ始めている[14]
Recent works started to engage with living organisms in a playful manner, e.g., by developing biotic games based on bacteria [36], or by using plants as a display [40] or mushrooms as a feedback system [14].
生物は，pH に敏感な「有機プリミティブ」 [21] や湿度に敏感な納豆細胞アクチュエータ [26] など，材料としても研究されている．これらの作品と同様に，われわれは生物であるK. rhaeticusを使い，人々がデータとインタラクションできるような具体的なインタフェースとなる
Living organisms have been explored also as materials, e.g., by using pH-sensitive “organic primitives” [21] and humidity-sensitive natto cells actuators [26].
Parkes explores the integration of biological systems into models of interaction design [34]. Liu brings a “collaborative survival” perspective on the use of fungi as a material for wearables, resulting in the direct engagement of the user with bio-material [25]. Our work relates to that in the sense that we do not manipulate bacteria to only use it as a transportation vector, we allow it to impact (through mutation) the original story.
The latest advances in biotechnology provide techniques that allow us (as humans in general) to interact with the life around, while shifting fundamentally the perception of ourselves as individuals (e.g., humans as a collective-being based on the realization that the human body has more microbiome cells than own [38][12]).
n this work, we use a DNA encoding technique that has proved effective for long-term data storage because of its extremely high packing density (215 petabytes per gram of DNA [7]). We obtained our DNA digital data by encoding the childhood story into a string of nucleotides that, afterwards, were fabricated into a DNA molecule.
Moreover, bacteria are alive, i.e., they have agency and can intervene directly in the design process. Specifically, bacteria can overgrow, mutate or die, and thus change the texture of the material.
In the case of Semina Aeternitatis, the computing technique is hidden in the process (e.g., used to encode the data into DNA), the data is encapsulated in a molecule, and the interaction with human becomes the focus.
MethodMethod
Our encoding algorithm first generated a dictionary that assigned to each character a unique trit (a trit is a ternary digit or a number in base 3). To ensure an accurate decoding, the dictionary cannot contain trits that can be obtained by concatenating any two other trits. Thus, to satisfy this condition, we adapted Huffman algorithm [17] to generate a ternary tree of codes. The dictionary is obtained by traversing the tree. Using the dictionary, we translated the original text to a set of trits. To minimize the length of the set of trits, the characters in the dictionary were ordered by their frequency in the text, such that the most probable character was encoded with the shortest trit.
plasmid
The second step of the process (see Figure 3) implies designing a plasmid – a circular DNA molecule to be embodied by the bacteria through genetic engineering.
We decided to work with Komagataeibacter rhaeticus (K. rhaeticus) – a bacteria that is safe around humans and that naturally creates a durable biofilm.
A tangible interface based on living matter is significantly more relatable to the user because of life as a shared experience.
Robert Mitchell discusses in detail how using living matter in design and art projects, emphasizes the idea of shared “vitality” [40].
Merritt et. al, argue that there is something “fundamentally different in the way living media can support embodied interaction compared to non-living media. This quality might be due to humans experiencing the shared quality of being alive in relation to other living organisms.” [31].
Moreover, the perception of this shared existence can lead to the development of feelings of empathy or mutual caring.
One of the advantages of designing with living matter, is the ease of replicability.
This gives Semina Aeternitatis a certain degree of immortality, the story can be preserved in a very small package (a test tube) and be available even centuries later. Working with living matter can be challenging because of the domain knowledge gap that needs to be bridged. The DIYBio movement has developed educational programs [2], compiled resources on tutorials and workshops [13] and provided ready-to-use kits for working with organisms such as plants [28], bacteria [33], fungi [41], etc.
Lastly, when designing interactive interfaces based on living matter, one of the concerning aspects is their relatively slow time response.
We then used the bacteria’s biofilm to create a tangible interface for people to interact with that story through smell, touch and taste.
Microorganisms, have been thought of as "living computers" on, inside, and around the human body, with the ability to receive inputs, process information, and respond to their environment [23]
Living Media Interfaces (LMIs) [51], for example, are interfaces which incorporate living organisms and biological materials in artifacts to support interaction between humans and digital systems.
Living Bits [60] proposes thinking of microorganisms as programmable biological interfaces, beyond the "traditional boundaries" between living matter and digital computers.
To truly explore the intimate qualities of interactions with living matter, we ask if it is possible to design experiences that facilitate direct and physical interactions with living matter?
In order to move closer to physical and direct interactions with living matter, we chose to explore the interaction nature with Dinoflagellates; bioluminescent algae.
When physically stimulated, the oxygen in their environment increases, causing a luciferin-luciferase chemical reaction and production of light.
This mechanism can inspire HCI researchers and Interaction designers to think of incorporating Dinoflagellates in physical interactive systems, replace light-emitting components (e.g., LEDs), and utilizing them in movement-based interactions [30].
However, in this work we aim to shift away from previous approaches of using living matter in interaction design as strictly materials, tools, or controlled media, and towards a relationship between the living organism and the human user.
In order to preserve the livingness quality of the organism and prioritize its needs and well-being, our design approach focuses first on the environments in which the organism can thrive in and proceed to explore the available interactions within those environments.
A more recent direction emphasizes kinetic design in interaction, i.e., embedding organic physical motion [2, 58, 64].
The physicality within the interaction inherently holds the advantage of immediate feedback from the physical objects as the human grasps and manipulates them [31, 32].
n this work, we extend this domain by exploring interactions between humans and living matter, that are dynamic and physical, thus not facilitated by other means (i.e., digital or computing).
In this work, we reflect on the feedback loop model by exploring and designing physical kinetic interactions with Dinoflagellates - bioluminescent algae. The human directly stimulates the Dinoflagellates through physical movement, and immediately witnesses the light produced. The sensory experience extends beyond solely the visual feedback (light is produced in response to physical movement) as the interaction is kinetic - involving the movement of the human body.
Thus sensing the interaction is experienced holistically with the human user’s body. We argue that this type of interaction is fundamentally different from interactions with a visual display, as it holds physical affordances for both the human and the living organisms.
DIYBio
Recent advancements in biology and material sciences have made new forms of interactions with organisms possible, while the rise of the DIYBio movement has played a major role in making biological tools and procedures accessible to designers and HCI researchers [20, 22, 42].
So far, most of the research efforts have been focused on developing interactive systems that have precise control over the organisms, programming them to perform in a specific way that (almost exclusively) serves only the human user.
For example, Trap it! [45] is a human-biology interaction (HBI) game that allows players to interact with Euglena by drawing on a touchscreen, triggering a photophobic response from Euglena and trapping the organism before they manage to change their swimming motion and escape.
We strongly believe that the interaction with living matter can reach beyond the notion of the organism being a material.
Our aim is to shift the perspective from living matter as strictly a material or controlled medium, towards a relationship between the living organism and the human user as two counterparts.
El Asmar envisions a social microbial prosthesis (wearable), capable of analyzing the human user’s microbiome and displaying the information directly on the skin of the user, rather than storing it in databases owned by companies [17].
We present our exploration in designing various types of interactions with Dinoflagelattes (bioluminescent algae) and propose a design framework that designers can use to consider the livingness of the organisms and thus prioritize their needs.
Empathetic Living Media [11] uses transgenic bacteria (fluorescent Escherichia coli) to display the social media interactions between colleagues in the workplace. The system controls the amount of food the bacteria receives, thus making its glow stronger or weaker, according to the data.
The ultraviolet light can potential cause mutations, or even gene transfer between the different types of bacterial cells, essentially changing the passage and welcoming new meanings.
When agitated by movement, such as shaking, brushing, and pouring (see Figure 1), Dinoflagellates are exposed to oxygen and illuminate as a result of a luciferin-based chemical reaction [10] - luciferin being a molecule that produces light energy when oxidized.
Dinoflagellates have limited endurance, meaning constant stimulation will tire them, and they will lose their ability to glow until they recharge.
人間中心ではなく、生物中心
In order to consider the organism in the interaction, we step away from human-centered design approaches and introduce a framework that takes an organism-centered approach when designing interaction with living matter.
We specifically focus on the environments where the organism can thrive and what interactions it affords.
生物が成長できる環境
By doing so, we shift the attention towards the organism’s needs, rather than on the desired outcome for the human user that may not take into account the organism’s well-being.
Our framework consists of four components (form, reception, feedback, and control)
バイオフィルムをデザインする際にこの４つを参照できそう
Dinoflagellates can thrive in transparent enclosed containers for long periods of time, e.g., our cultures have been alive for more than 16 months in the same enclosed containers.
密閉でも生きられる、Bioluminascense をTatooにするのも面白そう
Perhaps this practice reinforces non-anthropocentric design thinking [13], especially considering that the design medium is a dynamic living entity, as opposed to nonliving electronic components and static materials.
Such a design process can also take a more sustainable standpoint, another goal in non-anthropocentric design thinking.
このアイデアは好き
Such anti-microbe feelings have been recently reinforced by the covid-19 pandemic. In spite of this, we strongly believe in the importance of raising ethical concerns around using life (even as micro-organisms or as DNA) as a material.
Super agree!!!
Marta de Menezes. 2003. The artificial natural: manipulating butterfly wing
patterns for artistic purposes. Leonardo 36, 1 (2003), 29–32.
Frances Stracey. 2009. Bio-art: the ethics behind the aesthetics. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10, 7 (2009), 496–500.
A central challenge when designing with micro-organisms is the lack of direct communication between the microbes and the human user.
Nukabot
Jen Liu, Daragh Byrne, and Laura Devendorf. 2018. Design for collaborative survival: An inquiry into human-fungi relationships. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsÄi0. 1–13.
Social Microbial Prosthesis: Towards Super-Organism Centered Design
“Living Mushtari – MIT Media Lab.” MIT Media Lab, Mediated Matter Group - Neri Oxman, www.media.mit.edu/projects/living-mushtari/overview/.
Living Bits : Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating Living Microorganisms in Human-Computer Interaction
We conducted a search across multiple existing fields (HCI, synthetic biology, biotechnology, interaction design, industrial design, speculative design, architecture, and art) using the following keywords: "Microorganism", "Microbial", "Microbes", "Bacteria", "Yeast", "Biotic", "Bio HCI", and selected example projects that are well established in each communities, have been published and exhibited to the public.
The selected microbial interfaces projects included Mushtari [4], bioLogic [73], Mold Rush [34], Euglena Soccer Game [31], RGB E.Coli [15], Breathing Shoes [40], Biota Beats [35], Antibiotic-Responsive Bioart [37], OpenLH [23], My First Biolab [22], Vespers [3], Carbon Eaters [40], Social Microbial Prosthesis [12], Grown Microbial 3D Fiber Art [48], Mycelium Artifacts [71], Myco-accessories [64], Growable Robot [52], Biosensing Soft Robot [8], Empathetic living media [8], Microbial Home [47], E. chromi [11], Microbial Perfume [68], Bioelectronic soil sensing device [38], Gut-Brain Computer Interfaces [66], 3D Printed Living Responsive Materials and Devices [45]