Bioengineering: Shriya Srinivasan, Experiencing dance through haptics
Dr. Shriya Srinivasan is an assistant professor of bioengineering at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), where she directs the Harvard Biohybrid Organs and Neuroprosthetics (BIONICS) lab. Her ArtLab residency culminated in a work-in-progress public performance at ArtLab, recorded for the new NOVA series Building Stuff, viewable above on YouTube.
Wearable haptic interfaces have been studied in the context of motor and sensory learning and rehabilitation. These interfaces, which transmit tactile or musculotendinous information using sensations such as vibration, touch, and force feedback, are promising for applications in dance. Dr. Srinivasan’s lab is investigating the capabilities of wearable neural interfaces that can provide haptic feedback on the wearer’s movement quality. These devices also enable viewers to become a part of art and experience a performance in a multi-sensory modality.
A Fall ’23 performance at ArtLab connected haptics and the footwork of the classical Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. Dr. Srinivasan, accompanied by the Anubhava Dance Company, which she co-founded, explored the question, “What if you could feel the dancers’ movements in your hands?” Shriya later presented the work to Northeastern students from Clareese Hill’s class, “Interactive Media and Society.”
An R&D team, including Krithika Swaminathan, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering, and Harvard College student Isabella Gomez, built an app that enabled the audience to feel the dancers’ movements through a smartphone. Imagine the implications of this research for hearing or sight-impaired individuals or for an audience of 40,000.
In November 2024, Dr. Srinivasan and the Anubhava Dance Company performed at the Harvard Art Museums. They were featured in the Harvard Gazette article, Dance the audience can feel.
This project is part of Dr. Shriya Srinivasan’s artist residency at ArtLab (2023-24).