The Health Column is tangible record of health that is meant to be held and evaluated in correlation to one’s own body.1 It was produced from sensor data gathered from various systems of the human body and aligns the output of this data into a form that can be held and explored as a whole or can be examined one system at a time. Through a series of exercises we used sensors to gather data about the systems of our bodies. We aimed at gathering data from multiple systems of the body, specifically the musculoskeletal, pulmonary, endocrine, visual systems.

Our system for gathering data was simple but served as simulation for more complex data gathering equipment currently used in medical practice. We then used the data to produce these circular shapes, which were later used in building our tangible prototype. The result was a column-like shape that represents of a holistic look the systems of one’s body. We produced two columns, one per individual data set. Each column consists of individual cogs which represent the data taken from various systems of the body.

An ideal context for the Health Column would be to 3D print the form from data taken after a complete physical exam at a doctor’s office using data gathering equipment.

Building on the innate human ability to recognize form constancy and abnormality, this tangible interface is potentially more approachable than a traditional medical record. Constructing simple rules, such as: smooth is normal and rough is abnormal could quickly make somatic awareness and bodily health interpretable by any average patient. When taken into the home could remind the patient of his/her current physical condition, which turns the act of physical examination into a long–term and individualized responsibility.
As the health data is embedded in the form itself, the Health Column could also be used as a medical record which could be scanned to retrieve the data at any institution. and in a future of dynamic materials the form could change and update keeping the user continually aware of their current health.

The concept of such a device questions how data and tangible interfaces could be used as tools in the field of medicine for patients to gain a more active role in monitoring their own health and in their relationships with their doctor. As an interface, the health column is powerful because it is simple. Using digital systems for data gathering and building off the intuitiveness of engaging objects in the physical world, the user then interprets the bodily health through the medium of the body itself.