Natalia Cotic and Mateusz Soliński represented the ERC COSMOS project at the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) that took place in Copenhagen, on 14th-17th July 2025. Natalia presented research on autonomic (RR, respiration) entrainment to musical phrases, and Mateusz on characterising performer ECG morphologies (using SPAR) during different musical expressions.
This multidisciplinary event brought researchers from all over the world to the capital city of Denmark , allowing them to share their experiences and establish new contacts. The conference offered opportunities to engage with engineers, clinicians, and scientists applying innovative methods to medicine and biology, fostering interdisciplinary exchange for new ways of working in advancing healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Social events and other spontaneous after hours meetings offered the chance to enjoy Copenhagen in a different light.
Natalia Cotic, 2nd year PhD Candidate, presented her work “Dynamics of Autonomic Entrainment to Music ” which investigated how musical features influence the autonomic nervous system, using ECG and respiration data to measure synchronisation with musical phrase structures. Results showed that loudness produced stronger entrainment than tempo in most pieces, and that music with more predictable phrase arcs fostered greater physiological synchrony. These findings highlight the role of musical structure in shaping physiological responses, with potential applications in personalised cardiovascular therapies.
Cotic, N, V Pope, M Soliński, PD Lambiase, E Chew (2025). Dynamics of Autonomic Entrainment to Music: Effect of Loudness and Tempo Phrase Structures on RR Intervals and Respiration. In Proceedings of the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 14-17 Jul 2025, Copenhagen, DK. [ PDF ]
Mateusz Soliński, Postdoctoral Researcher, presented his work “Using Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction to Visualise and Analyse Prosodic Action-based ECG Morphologies During Music Performance“, which showcased a novel method for mapping subtle cardiovascular changes in real time. This approach captures and visualises variations in ECG waveforms associated with musical expression, offering a new way to study the physiological demands and expressive dynamics of performance. His oral presentation took place during one of the Silent Sessions, where three presenters showcased their work simultaneously. The audience, equipped with special headphones (the same used during silent discos!), could switch between different channels at any time.
Soliński, M, W Hao, E Chew (2025). Using Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction to Visualise and Analyse Prosodic Action-based ECG Morphologies During Music Performance. In Proceedings of the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 14-17 Jul 2025, Copenhagen, DK. [ PDF ]
Both presentations received positive feedback from the attendees and valuable suggestions for future work.
