Sensory Fiction: A Design Fiction of Emotional Computation

This paper is situated in the emergent field of "Design Fiction" and describes how this approach can be applied to explorations in the field of immersive media experiences. We present Sensory Fiction -- an exploration in augmenting the emotions of a reader via a modular, multi-sensory system. The science on the nature of emotions is still inconclusive and direct ways of controlling them computationally are yet to be discovered. However, this project creates a Design Fiction that highlights the opportunities and challenges that the availability of such technology might bring. We leveraged existing scientific insights to build a functional prototype that aims to induce and evoke emotions by simulating the physiological system. Used in combination with conceptual, non-functional modules (i.e. modules that do not function physically but that introduce the idea of a physical actuation), we created an artifact to spark discussion about the future of immersive emotional experiences but that can also be experienced by the audience. Lastly, we show how presenting the project in appropriate contexts and analyzing the audience's reaction is a useful strategy to evaluate Design Fiction projects.