The Works Research Institute conducts scientific research on the effects of sound on human wellbeing. To this end, we designed the Sphere - a perfectly spherical sound pod for one person to sit inside. It offers an optimized environment for high-fidelity spatial sound experience and measuring human response to sound at various levels, such as the brain activity and vital functions.

Sound has a deeply rooted relation with the neuro-physiological functioning of the human body. The inner ear is the first sensory organ to develop during the embryonic phase in the womb, which influences the early development of the brain and nervous system. Hearing controls balance, posture and motoric functions of the body. The skin, muscles, organs and bone structure all play a fundamental role in the detection of vibrations. As such, sound also has measurable effects on the parasympathetic nervous system that helps maintain the body in balance, or homeostasis.

Inside the Sphere, the listener is seated on a floating chair in silence and complete darkness. Sound waves are projected within the human audible frequency range (16 Hz-20 kHz) as well as extending above and below - sound that cannot be heard but can be felt. By deprivation of the visual sense, we become more sensitive to sound through mechanoreception - the sense of vibration through the body - and its effects on proprioception - relating to the position, balance and movement of body parts - and interoception - sensations relating to the internal state of the body.

By means of a process involving stimuli and feedback response, the Sphere observes how sound influences the state of the listener and tunes the sound more precisely to the listener to induce a state of balance - a process called entrainment. Entrainment emerges once the biorhythms of the human body - such as breath, heartbeat and brain activity - and frequencies present within the sound waves synchronize, so they become phase coherent. This process induces resonance, a magnification of audible energy in space and felt around and inside the body.

The Sphere has been the subject of five years of research and development to establish optimal acoustic conditions for experiencing and observing the effects of sound on human wellbeing. The Sphere is powered with audio technology developed by Bloomline Acoustics and 4DSOUND.

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