Resonant Objects

By Jon Otis, Linh Nguyen, and Elizabeth Hammet

"Resonant Objects proposes a new category of designed object — furniture that actively supports human physiological and emotional wellbeing through the convergence of embedded sonic environments, vibro-acoustic vibration, and responsive haptic surfaces.
The project begins from a single insight: every designed object shapes the nervous system of the person near it. This shaping has always happened. Resonant Objects makes it intentional.

The technical architecture operates across four interdependent layers. A sensing layer — using pressure-sensitive textile matrices and conductive fabric surfaces — detects presence, posture, breath, and deliberate touch without visible technology or wearables. A processing layer interprets this data locally, with no external data transmission, mapping input to output in real time. A sonic layer will deliver generative, never-repeating sound simultaneously through a directional parametric speaker, bone conduction through hard surfaces, and vibro-acoustic low-frequency vibration felt directly through the body. A haptic layer closes the loop between hand and material — touch generates sound, sound returns as vibration through the touched surface, essentially responding as the resonant intelligence of a musical instrument.

An optional attached screen-based device can be implemented adding a visual Interface that will offer interactive experiences and provide user agency to select desired soundscapes.

Materials are researched first for acoustic and somatic performance, conductive textiles as invisible interfaces, composites for acoustic absorption, and various finishes for their subtle olfactory presence.

The project’s two primary contexts are healthcare — specifically addressing caregiver burnout through restorative micro-environments — and education, supporting neurodiverse learners through sonic and haptic regulation within mainstream classroom settings. Both populations share a fundamental need: environments designed for how their nervous systems actually work.

Resonant Objects is not a product with technology added to it. It is a new discipline — somatic design — at its founding moment. "