RESET (Responsive Emotional Transformation)
A new stress reduction installation for the workplace.

The urgency:
• An estimated 1 million workers globally are absent every day due to stress.
• Stress is a factor in 50% to 60% of all lost working days (European Risk Observatory Report, 2015, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work)
• In the USA job stress is estimated to cost over $300 billion annually and workplace stress is responsible for up To $190B in annual U.S. healthcare costs
• In the recent EU-funded project carried out by Matrix (2013), the cost to Europe of work-related depression was estimated to be €617 billion annually.

To tackle stress in the workplace, Ben and UNStudio have teamed up with Jeff Povlo of SCAPE and a multidisciplinary team* of experts to develop a fully immersive, modular structure (RESET) that features scientifically proven stress reduction methods.

The aim of the RESET modules is to raise awareness/consciousness for people to proactively deal with their own stress and to empower them to do this more effectively: to decompress while learning how to take better care of their own emotional states.

The first two interactive modules (featuring an active and a passive stress reduction method) will be prototyped and demonstrated at the exhibition ‘A Joyful Sense at Work’ at the Salone del Mobile in Milan next month.

In the ‘Joyful Sense at Work’ exhibition the purpose of RESET to the workplace will be demonstrated and benefits for ‘office workers’ will be investigated and presented. Visitors will be invited to experience and test the active versus passive experience. 

The RESET pods will contain wearables (brain and heart sensors) to provide biofeedback, track the experiences and identify the most suitable approach for each user.  A proprietary algorithm has been developed that combines both head and heart data to analyze the visitor’s psychophysiological state, measure the stress resilience level and recommend stress reduction methods that match their responses. We call this the ‘RESET Index’. The sensors will be linked to the physical environment so that people’s data will adapt their personal experience inside the pods. This ambient intelligence will make each experience unique to the individual user. 

Ambient Intelligence (AmI)
Ambient intelligence refers to electronic environments that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of people. By linking biosensors to the physical space, the experiment tests what types of responsiveness provides value to people.

After visitors experience both pods, they will receive a link to access their own RESET Index score. They will see how they responded to each of the prototyped stress reduction methods and receive recommendations for future stress reduction consideration.
Benefits:
1. Increase self-awareness and self-management through personal biofeedback via the wearables
2. Improve efficiency and quality of life
3. Reduction of the absenteeism from work
4. Reduction of the cost of stress related issues by companies, governments and health care providers
5. Reduction of conflict in the workplace and amongst friends/family
6. Reduction of unhealthy life style habits

Federlegno Arredo Eventi SpA

UNStudio
Ben van Berkel with Tina Kortmann, William de Boer and Jesse Zweers, Marco Conte, Gary Polk, Yang Li, Sander Versluis, Ergin Birinci, Oana Nituica, Machteld Kors

Scape
Jeff Povlo, Nicola Tordoff Söhne, Chris Malbon, Steven Smith

Dr. Teresa de Sanctis - PhD Neuroscientist/experience design and optimization
Jurjen Söhne - Technology integration
Ambassadors: Diederik Veelo, Rio Kierkels, Alvin Goh, Coen Spoor, Machiel Banen, Benjamin Bourgonje, Paul Sluimers - Technologists/Interaction design