MIT MEDIA LAB
Escape Pod
Spatial sensor lab
Researching human-building interaction in-situ
The Escape Pod is an exploratory platform for researchers investigating moments of refuge within our bustling work lives. The core of the Escape Pod consists of actuated work and rest surfaces. This allows for moments of productivity and relaxation to occur within a single space. Research in collaboration with Kent Larson, Carson Smuts, Jason Nawyn and Lucas Cassiano, from the MIT Media Lab City Science Group
Dynamic and adaptable.
The entire Escape Pod is adjustable. It responds to the needs and behaviors of the user, and supports levels of scenarios from focused work to sleep. The outer skin provides variable transparency, enabling a spectrum of visibility settings according to privacy requirements. It can adjust based on the needs of the user inside, and morph to support interaction with the outside or looking inward for moments of rest.
Addressable control
The entire space is customizable and can embody a large array of state permutations. The Escape Pod’s elements –from the furniture to the skin to the lighting – are addressable, and can be fine-tuned by the user to suit their preferences, and can adjust to fit many different journeys and needs.
Modular sensor platform.
The inner skin provides an infrastructure for the modulation of spatial experiences. Each panel is a pixel, connecting itself to the skin network, and can embody an array of senses. Researchers can add and remove panels as needed to test different facets of the human-building experience – from health, to environmental fluctuations to human behavior.
For more information, please visit the City Science Group Project Page.