TreeSense VR: Become a Tree from Seed to Felling

TreeSense is a virtual reality system that transforms the user into a tree, simulating the physical sensations of another life form. Created by Yedan Qian of the Umeå Institute of Design and Xin Liu of the Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab, the experience takes the user from planting, through growth, to the final moments before being cut down. The human body becomes a trunk and arms become branches; bodily sensations such as wind rustling leaves, branches growing, and animals alighting are simulated via electrodes on strategic forearm points to stimulate skin and muscles. The project aims to offer an intimate, visceral, and empathetic experience, reinforcing a trend in VR of expanding perspective beyond the human sphere.