Biography

Dr Anthony (aka Tony) Brooks, Wales, is acknowledged and celebrated as an eminent and renowned Emeritus Professor, international award winning artist, and conferred fellow of international societies (e.g., ICAT; EAI), whose transdisciplinarity research across 'Human-at-Center' ArtsIT, Health, and Wellbeing is considered avant-garde and pioneering. Brooks' SoundScapes body of work led to multi-million € funded projects (national & international), industry start-ups, commercial product, a new university education (Medialogy, Art & Technology) and national/international research awards.
Sponsors include IBM, SONY, SCEE, Egmont, Martin Lights, and many more.
Self-created computer feedback systems empowering enjoyable immersive creative expression (compositional art and fun) via (invisibly) sensed e-motion data mapped to multimedia where all aspects are tailored and adaptable to profile, need, and desired outcome is foci. A professionally developed research protocol is catalyst to the work.
Born into an artistic family having profoundly disabled members wherein his inventive creativity alongside tacit knowledge developed, a first showcase at the ICA London (1978) followed with degrees in engineering and humanities that led to initiating his SoundScapes body of work and subsequent research residencies including at CRBI (Center for Rehabilitation of Brain Injury Copenhagen University); at Marselisborg Hospital, Aarhus; and at CAVI (Centre for Advanced Visualization and Interaction, Aarhus University) including as opening artist in 2001. A PhD and c. 250 publications with 13 books (including a trilogy on "Technologies for Inclusive Wellbeing" and "Advancements" [2014, 2017, 2021] and most recent "Creating Digitally: Shifting Boundaries" [2023]) have total access metrics/citations of over one million (2024). Brooks conceived, funded, designed, manned, and directed SensoramaLab at Aalborg University (2004) exploring impact of ArtsIT in Health/Wellbeing through investigating empowering creative expression via selectable feedback content. This led to development of a large network and ArtsIT community that continues to evolve.
Credits include as international conference/event keynote speaker (50+); Inventor; Artist (e.g., MoMAs); and numerous consultant roles . Brooks was also director, producer and performer at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Cultural Olympiad/Paralympiad + science event speaker presenting his SoundScapes body of work resulting from his research crossing the fields of artistic creative expression, entertainment, and health. Roles include as coordinator of i3net (the EU Network of Excellence in Intelligent Information Interfaces); and currently as an EU Commission invited expert; Coordinator of the Council of Europe Video Games Culture; country representative at UNESCO/IFIP TC14 in Entertainment Computing; steering chair of the European Alliance of Innovation (EAI) ArtsIT (Arts and Technology, Interactivity and Game Creation, since inauguration in 2009).
A focus is on researching ways of achieving human afferent efferent neural feedback loop closure vis participants' creative self-expression from within optimised tailored adaptive technical sensing environments matched to participant's profile and desired outcome of intervention. Participants fully functional or across diagnosis/dysfunction, age (young/old), and situation are targeted.
Transcending fields, Brooks is acknowledged coining/branding "Virtual Interactive Space";"Aesthetic Resonance"; "ArtAbilitation"; "GameAbilitation"; "AquAbilitation"; "SoundScapes"; "VibrAbilitation" and "TeleAbilitation"... alongside being recognized as a first pioneer investigating self-created gesture-based invisible sensing apparatus mapped to interactive computer feedback in the form of selectable digital content i.e., music, sounds/effects, visuals, audiovisuals, robotics, video games, virtual reality, and more, applied within healthcare (re)habilitation and well-being research. An emergent intervention (in/on-action) method model resulted.
Speaker credits include United Nations Headquarters New York, USA; IBM headquarters, Armonk, NY, USA; Xerox Europe Headquarters, Grenoble, France, and more - with such corporate speaker roles resulting in sponsorships as above.

Brooks is noted for his research leading to a related industry start-up titled Personics - (Personal Interactive Communication Systems), funded through his projects, with successful commercial product with related patents (6) e.g., US6893407B1, where third-party professional physiotherapists reported "a marked improvement that was up to 400% in the training specific performance" concluding "Clinical Rehabilitation Impact" (Hagedorn & Holm 2010).



References:
Hagedorn DK, Holm E. Effects of traditional physical training and visual computer feedback training in frail elderly patients. A randomized intervention study. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2010 Jun;46(2):159-168).