Body Transformation: An Experiential Quality of Sensory Feedback Wearables for Altering Body Perception

Body perception has a significant impact on people’s motor, emotional, and social functioning. We evaluated the potential of four different existing wearable prototypes, which provide sound or haptic bodily feedback to alter body perception. In a Research through Design workshop, we invited professional dancers as expert study participants to explore and assess our prototypes. Based on the workshop’s insights, we articulate the experiential quality of Body Transformation, which characterizes how dancers perceive and experience their bodies while interacting with such prototypes. The quality encompasses a perceptual and holistic transformation, impacting the feelings about body, movement and emotions, and where the sensory feedback’s evocative power is crucial. Additionally, it elicits different transformation valuations. We contribute a deeper understanding of the impact of sensory feedback on body perception, its potential for transforming people’s overall body experience, and methodological insights on the potential of working with dancers to evaluate wearable sensory technology.