Welcome to the age of physiology

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Morrison is doing his part to hasten this coming age. Through his previous company, Filmtrip, he helped produce the world’s first bio-responsive horror film – Unsound – in which scenes, music and sound effects would be altered based on the biometric readings of participating audience members.

Unsound used two different metrics to shape its 15-minute run-time: heart rate and galvanic skin response – a measure of the electrical conductance of skin, which varies according to sweat levels.

The film made its debut at the SXSW Festival in 2011. After the screening, Morrison recalls how one of the participants came up to him to say: “If you could figure out a way to make this go mobile, you would be on to something serious.”
Two years on, that challenge has been met. Morrison and his Filmtrip business partner Shane McCourt have launched the company Sensum, and their technology for measuring skin conductance now fits on a wristband, with wires connecting to the index ...