Preventing Information Overload

In an increasingly data-driven society, the human brain is often being presented with more data than it can possibly analyze. This may end up causing fatigue and anxiety as people are continually bombarded with “too much information.” So researchers are working on ways to help our minds deal with large, complex datasets more effectively by changing the way data is presented based on an individual’s subconscious reactions.

The Collective Experience of Empathic Data Systems (CEEDS) Project has developed a multi-modal, virtual reality environment that measures a user’s responses (such as gestures, eye movements, heart rate) to large amounts of information. When a participant starts to exhibit signs of “overload” the system automatically adjusts the way in which the data is presented, either by simplifying the visual images or by guiding the observer to more relevant areas through the use of subliminal clues like flashing arrows.

We are only aware of about 10 percent of our brain activity, and this technology is aimed at increasing that percentage to help us perform better by assimilating increasingly complex datasets more quickly. Applications include virtual classrooms in which presentations are adapted to individual attention levels as well as museums, libraries, airports and retail stores.