The Empathy Machine, 2015

 

Raspberry Pi, HD Video, mic, camera, wooden booth, screen. 

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Programming by Alana Kelly. Created as part of the CURAM  Art and Science Residency at NUIG Galway. 

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The Empathy Machine is a futuristic pop up booth with a digital therapist. The Empathy Machine is a safe place that you walk into when you are feeling down and need to talk to someone.

 

A patient, in need of a counselling session walks in and is confronted by a digital manifestation of a therapist. The Therapist asks them leading questions and the patient responds.

 

However due to digital glitchy-ness, the pre recorded therapist tends to interrupt the patient, and doesn't really listen at all.

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Invoking the idea that even though our daily interactions are becoming more computer based, an on-screen persona may never replicate the empathetic nature of a real live human being.

 

The Empathy Machine works via a pre-programmed Raspberry Pi, it reads facial and voice detection, which then triggers a series of pre- recorded prompts and questions, timed to interrupt the viewer and thier interaction with the piece.