What is “Kando” (emotional impact)? Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., which specializes in mobility, and Yamaha Corporation, a company in the music business, have long upheld the creation of “Kando” through motorcycles and musical instruments as part of their corporate philosophy. To return to these roots, they have recently been working with cognitive neuroscientists to understand the mechanisms associated with human emotional responses. However, research often tends to culminate merely in the publication of academic papers. Therefore, WOW helped to create “e-plegona” to allow more people to experience the research hypotheses. This interactive installation aims to artificially generate the “Kando” pursued by both Yamaha companies and also serves as a research prototype. It has been exhibited at technology festivals worldwide, including SXSW 2023 in Texas, U.S., and has been experienced by over 2,000 people to date.

One hypothesis that emerged from the research into understanding the mechanisms of emotional impact is “team flow.” e-plegona is a device designed to intentionally generate this state. Team flow is a phenomenon where multiple people cooperate to accomplish something, creating a mental connection that yields a high level of satisfaction. This is similar to the feeling achieved through group improvisation. While there is no single correct form of “Kando”, perhaps people experience it when they achieve a strong sense of unity through their interactions with others. To achieve this state, WOW worked closely with both Yamaha teams from planning to implementation.

Nevertheless, designing a system to artificially create the formless concept of “Kando” was not easy. The project faced difficulties from the planning stage. We found ourselves caught between concerns like, “It works as entertainment but isn't appropriate as research,” or, “It's valid as a research approach but not appealing as an experience,” and continued to develop experiences that would satisfy both requirements. Dozens of proposals were submitted with little positive feedback, and our days were spent searching for an elusive solution.

After nearly 7 months of continuous pitching project ideas, one concept finally resonated with the Yamaha team. Based on this idea, we also considered experience design from a visual perspective to make it more enjoyable for SXSW visitors, exchanged views on how to expand the concept, and finally created the e-plegona prototype. WOW was deeply involved in all processes, from UI and animation to the application system and establishing rules for the experience. Team members including planners, directors, designers, and programmers worked beyond their specific roles, handling everything in-house from ideation and gathering feedback to implementation without outsourcing. This approach enabled close communication with researchers and allowed for adaptable adjustments, such as adding new rules and systems on-site as needed.

e-plegona is essentially a “cooperative music game.” Two players form a pair and aim for a high score while collaborating through intuitive communication. Each player stands facing one another in front of a table-type touch screen, tapping the screen to rhythmically create icons called “Notes.” While sending these as rhythmic patterns to their partner, they also produce “Tones” by touching the notes sent by their partner. This means both players must simultaneously fulfill two roles: creating sounds by tapping the rhythms received from their partner while also sending rhythms to their partner. Similar to a jazz session, players use their bodies to play while nonverbally sensing their partner's movements and breathing, creating a strong sense of unity between the two participants. This mechanism allows people to vicariously experience “Kando” through this connection. Rather than aiming to clear a difficult game level, this new device provides the experience of gaining a sense of achievement through collaboration. The response from those who experienced the exhibition was excellent. As for the research, interesting new data has also been collected. Updates are still being made, and domestic exhibitions are currently under consideration. Whether the day will come when the mechanisms of human emotional impact can be completely understood remains uncertain. However, one direction may be beginning to emerge.