I’ve been fascinated with patterns in physiological signals and want to express it in various forms, and the following is one of the signals that motivates me the most:

Harmonics in frequency spectrum of human pulse pressure waveform

Image documentation of BioRhythm installation

Video documentation of BioRhythm installation

Real-time audio visual interactive installation based on mapping harmonic peaks on spectrum of pulse pressure wave to color and pentatonic scale

Origin

BioRhythm originated from early research interests in harmonics (and frequency relation) on spectrum of human pulse pressure wave in 2008. Fascinated by this simple and elegant phenomenon, several approaches have been taken upon this resonance phenomenon in Hemodynamics (it’s corresponding analysis method : Harmonic Analysis of Arterial Pressure Pulse Waves) : an experiment has been designed to investigate relation between audio stimuli and blood vessel wall displacement using ultrasound. While there wasn’t enough satisfactory results from scientific approach, a different approach was chosen to express this phenomenon: via collaboration with spatial sound designer and visual artist, this content-driven-technology project turned into an interactive media arts installation. The choice was made so that it can reach audiences in various fields.

More on origin

I’m fascinated with patterns in physiological signal, activity of the human heart (specifically frequency relation of harmonics in spectrum of pulse pressure wave), and currently designing instrumentation tool and looking for forms to represent these patterns in realtime. Sphygmograph 2010 among other instrumentation tools for heart activity (Electrocardiograph 2010, Photoplethysmograph 2011, Ultrasound 2009; these are links to my approaches since 2008) is of my most interest for its nature that involves interpretation of haptic signs(styles fo touch) and thus discourse in objectivity and subjectivity in interpreted knowledge of pulse. Featured works below are around how patterns are generated from organic body through negotiation with its environment, and have been realized in forms of interactive audiovisual installation and bio-inspired data sonification as samples for electronic music composition. Next step will be looking for physical forms to represent patterns from organic body in response to environment in realtime. My recent iphone app 2011 is an example of enabling object that allows easy network setup for heart-rate-based interactive installation using mobile device.

P.O.M. 2010 and its remix 2011 [ElectroCardioGraphic data sonification - accepted and performed at CREATE concert; awarded in electro-acoustic music composition]
Inspired by discussion in brain-mind dichotomy, state of consciousness, and poly-vagal perspective on autonomous nervous system; I measured my own ECG signal during a 30-minute mediation process, composed these samples after signal processing. Later, I performed a remix of the original composition at CREATE concert.

BioRhythm 2010-2011 [I initiated this collaborated work based on realtime PhotoPlethysmoGraph signal - presented at L.A., USA , Oslo, Norway, TEDx open house at Allosphere, BioPAC company, and other public venue]
Inspired by simple but elegant phenomenon on frequency spectrum of pulse pressure wave, harmonics (or overtone roughly falls on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and up to 9Hz), with very long history and debatable scientific approach to correlate these harmonics peaks as index for corresponding visceral organs); this is the first-known approach to represent signal characteristics according to ancient mappings to pentatonic scale, cardinal direction, and colors in forms of realtime computer graphics and spatial sonification. Next step will be looking for physical forms to represent frequency relation of this signal in realtime.

To reach larger audience, I chose to express this elegant and simple phenomenon in multimedia installation form in various approaches.

Publication

Ryan McGee, Yuan-Yi Fan, Reza Ali, BioRhythm – a Biologically-inspired Audio-Visual Installation, in Proc. of NIME 2011, The 2011 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Oslo, Norway, May 30-June 1, 2011, pp. 80-83.

Installation

End of Year Show Media Arts and Technology University of California Santa Barbara 2010, MAT, UCSB, 5/26/2010

BioPac System Inc., Santa Barbara, CA, 6/7/2010

Mindshare L.A., Los Angeles, CA, 8/19/2010

TEDActive2011 AlloSphere Open House, Santa Barbara, CA, 2/28/2011

NIME, Oslo, Norway, 6/1/2011

Future work

I collecte, compose, perform, and keep looking for various forms to represent frequency relation of harmonic pulse analysis.

 

How I learned about all this

Professor Wei-Kung Wang was the chair at Institute of Biomedical Engineering at National Yang Ming Medical College from 1987 to 1989, where I got my MS. I read about his book “Music movement which — Was mad” in 2007 and all his publications on resonance theory as well as harmonic pulse analysis since then. And I was so inspired and gained deeper interests in cardiovascular science after having short talks with Professor Shu Chien at 6th Wu Ta-You Science Camp- Prospect for Cardiovascular Science, Aug. 10-15 2007. While reading “Biomechanics: Circulation”, ”Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues”, and “Biomechanics: Motion, Flow, Stress, and Flow” in grad class, I also found out Professor Chien works closely with Professor Yuan-Cheng Fung at UCSD Bioengineering and Institute of Engineering in Medicine. Recent collaboration between National Yang Ming Medical College and University of California San Diego:

- 2010 Establishment of the International Research-intensive Center of Excellence (I-RiCE) for Advanced Bioengineering Research between the University System of Taiwan (UST) and University California San Diego (UCSD)
- 2011 The International Research-Intensive Center of Excellence (I-RiCE) on Advanced Bioengineering; This Center is an international collaborative research partnership between UCSD and two universities from the University System of Taiwan (UST, including the National Yang-Ming University and the National Chiao-Tung University)

Recommended popular science publication on “Resonance – the Missing Phenomenon in Hemodynamics”

W.K. Wang, “Music movement which -­‐ Was  mad”, regular script Chinese, the bulk culture, on September 07, 2002 published, ISBN: 9867975502 (王唯工 ,二零零二 ,氣的樂章,大塊文化)

Selected academic publication related to “Resonance – the Missing Phenomenon in Hemodynamics” (Publications by Wei-Kung Wang)

1989_Specific frequency properties of renal and superior mesenteric arterial beds in rats [Cardiovasc. Res., 23: 465-467]

1991_Resonance the missing phenomenon in hemodynamics [Circ Res. 1991 Jul;69(1):246-9]

1992_The filter properties of the arterial beds of organs in rats [Acta Physiol. Scand., 145: 401-406]

1993_Spectral analysis of radial pulse in patients with acute, uncomplicated myocardial infarction [Jpn. Heart J., 34: 131-143]

1994_Resonance in rat kidney system [Am. J. Physiol., 267: H1544-H1548]

1994_Alteration of pulse in human subjects by three Chinese herbs [Am. J. Chin. Med., 22: 197-203]

1995_Effect of acupuncture at Tsu San Li (St-36) on the pulse spectrum,” Am. J. Chin. Med., 23: 121-130]

1996_Pulse Spectrum Analysis of Hospital Patients with Possible Liver Problems [to update]

1997_Pressure wave propagation in arteries. A model with radial dilatation for simulating the behavior of a real artery [to update]

1998_Transmission efficiency of the aortic bifurcation in rats [to update]

1999_Pulse analysis of patients with severe liver problems: studying pulse spectrums to determine the effects on other organs [IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Mag., 18: 73-75]

2000_Effect of length on the fundamental resonance frequency of arterial models having radial dilation [to update]

2000_The importance of pulsatile microcirculation in relation to hypertension [to update]

2001_Applying the resonance equation to the blood pressure waveform variation in aorta bending and renal ligation of rats [to update]

2001_Harmonic variations of arterial pulse during dying pulse of rats [to update]

2002_Hemodynamics with total energy [to update]

2003_Effects of aorta bending and renal ligation on the blood pressure a simulation on arterial stiffening [to update]

2003_Influencing the heart rate of rats with weak external mechanical stimulation [PACE-Pacing Clin. Electrophysiol., 26: 36-43]

2003_Pulse Analysis as a Possible Real-Time Biomarker Complementary to SGPT and SGOT for Monitoring Acute Hepatotoxicity [Toxicol. Mech. Methods, 13: 181-186]

2003_The Physical Conditions of Different Organs Are Reflected Specifically in the Pressure Pulse Spectrum of the Peripheral Artery [to update]

2004_Losing harmonic stability of arterial pulse in terminally ill patients [Blood Press. Monit., 9: 255-258, 2004]

2004_Pressure pulse velocity is related to the longitudinal elastic properties of the artery [to update]

2004_The Natural Frequencies of the Arterial System and Their Heart Rate [to update]

2005_Organ specific ligation-induced changes in harmonic components of the pulse spectrum and regional vasoconstrictor selectivity in Wistar rats [Exp. Physiol., 91: 163-170]

2005_Raising harmonic variation of arterial pulse in dying rat [Am. J. Chin. Med., 33: 73-85]

2005_The eccentric position of the heart in the mammalian body and optimal energy transfer in single tube models

2006_Frequency matching and arterial transverse kinetic energy [to update]

2008_The ventricular-arterial coupling system can be analyzed by the eigenwave modes of the whole arterial system [to update]

2008_Microcirculatory effect of different skin contacting pressures around the blood pressure [to update]

2008_The possible role of arterial radial vibration in heart rate and blood pressure matching [Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part H-J. Eng. Med., 222: 773-779, 2008]

2008_The ventricular-arterial coupling system can be analyzed by the eigenwave modes of the whole arterial system [to update]

2009_Age-Related Changes in Specific Harmonic Indices of Pressure Pulse Waveform [to update]

2009_The exponential decay characteristic of the spectral distribution of blood pressure wave in radial artery [to update]

2010_Effects of Captopril on Specific Harmonic Indexes of the Peripheral Pressure Pulse Waveform [to update]

2010_Theory and Applications of the Harmonic Analysis of Arterial Pressure Pulse Waves [to update]

2011_Differences in Pulse Spectrum Analysis Between Atopic Dermatitis and Nonatopic Healthy Children [The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. April 2011, 17(4): 325-328] (with 林昭庚 (Jaung-Geng Lin))

Further reading, a complete list of publications –>