Ecotag, a Protocol for Ecological Data Collection and Interactive Narrative Design
& a protocol for arts and culture but also climate action. Quantified rendering of the biorhythmic data produced by living organisms is now a viable space for consumer electronics. The divide between health/wellness & entertainment can now be feasibly collapsed across a protocol for ecological data collection and mixed reality interfaces. A century of environmental degradation has exacerbated the need for a new contract in the architecture between the Earth and society. Ecotag is a project that seeks to re-center the relationship between the individual and the environment through game design and electrode bluetooth transmitting electronic wearables. While the project was originally borne toward the development of open source video gaming production for ecological interactivity, the technology does have potential applications in fields like agriculture, biotech, synthetic biology and more.
In this PIG, I propose an advance in the pre-existing research and development in the space of ecological data rendering for mulitmedia devices. Apparatuses for collecting the data produced by living organisms’ biorhythms and rendering them as media can be created with less than $5 in parts, suggesting a low overhead for further development and greater accessibility in technology that allows people to more deeply understand their impact on the plants and animals in their environment. Here is a link to the pitch deck we used to win a Medici grant from the 1517 fund:
What is the existing target protocol you are hoping to improve or enhance?
Regional ecological data acquisition and healthy alternatives to entertainment.
What is the core idea or insight about potential improvement that you want to pursue?
To facilitate a restructuring of how people interact with their environment and the living organisms cohabiting Earth. To provide an alternative to the last several decades of video gaming as physically debilitating pastimes through a mixed reality game which encourages activity as well as the accessibility of archiving plant life in their region through biorhythm data collection via an electrode bluetooth transmitter, the Ecotag. Remember PokemonGo? This is it’s plant life data collection and region mapping cousin.
What is your discovery methodology for investigating the current state of the target protocol?
Online research and development of repositories in related fields. Although there are already devices in market which take plant data collection into the realm of media, the PlantWave is one such instance, our intervention is rendering that data into more than just sound waves ; and, into an immersive experience situated between video gaming and lifestyle wellness.
In what form will you prototype your improvement idea?
Code and electronic device development. We would also like to explore ways in which the Ecotag can assist in life sciences education for all peoples.
How will you field test your improvement idea?
The dream would be to gather data through prototypes distributed in small developer communities. Eventually we would like to host events at botanical gardens, state and national parks which can call people’s attention to new ways of understanding & archiving their ecosystems and the human effect.
Who will be able to judge the quality of your output?
Eventually, it is likely that larger electronics companies can see the utility in electrode bluetooth transmitters for multimedia displays. That is a while away, however; and so to begin, we seek collaboration with communities interested in providing feedback and insight in how to make this experience a truly new development for the good of people and environmental relations.
How will you publish and evangelize your improvement idea?
Ideally we’d like to take our project to market. We also would like to see people of all ages find a use for the Ecotag, whether that be through land management or biome education. We will apply for any grants available.
What is your success vision for your idea?
We’d love for people to have fun and see their world in a different, brighter way. We’d love for people to buy our electronics. It would be amazing to line out release of the first mvp’s as affordable consumer hardware for mixed reality interfaces which are now being available to people.