"Biomimetic Network of Sound for Future Cities" multimodal dataset

This dataset was collected in the XR Lab of the Max Planck Institute of Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in collaboration with artist Paul Louis and SME Impulse Audio Lab as part of the ReSilence S+T+ARTS initiative, an EU-funded project that aims to foster alliances between artists and research institutions to inspire human-centered innovation for designing the soundscapes of future cities.

This artistic research project explores how urban noise can be transformed into more meaningful and health-promoting soundscapes. Inspired by biophony—the way natural environments organize sound—the project uses a specially developed algorithm to turn chaotic urban noise into adaptive, harmonic audio experiences. The aim is to rethink how sound functions in future cities: not as pollution, but as a responsive and emotionally intelligent layer of the urban landscape. An experiment was designed to evaluate how different sound environments affect stress levels. Participants entered a virtual space via a VR headset and treadmill, where they hear algorithmically generated soundscapes that respond to their movement (Symbiosis and Pollution scenarios). Data collection included heart rate data recorded through a wearable belt, motion trajectory in virtual space, and subjective ratings to assess stress levels in different scenarios. In addition to testing the Pollution and Symbiosis modes of the system, we also compared them with real-world reference sounds — a natural soundscapes and an environment with typical urban noise.

More information about the structure of the dataset and data usage can be found in the readme.txt file. 

Feel free to contact me about further inquiries on the data collection process or usage.