PERKINS VISIT

؜While visiting Perkins School for the Blind, we learned that Perkins students had the option of attending music lessons as well as music therapy sessions. While they had examples of tactile music sheets, we wanted to create a different assistive tool for playing music while having sight and/or hearing impairments. We decided on either a tactile metronome or tuner.

CONCEPT STATEMENT

؜This tool assists individuals with visual and hearing impairments in playing music. This device will be either a metronome or a tuner that provides tactile feedback rather than audio or visual feedback.

ASSISTIVE TECH PRECEDENT

Vibrating metronome

Soundbrenner

BEHAVIORAL PRECEDENT

Metronome/Tuner

SOFT ROBOTICS PRECEDENT

Expressive Robot

Cornell University Engineers

PRECEDENTS

FUNCTIONAL

REQUIREMENTS

؜LIGHT WEIGHT AND COMFORTABLE

؜TACTILE INTUITIVE CONTROLS

؜PNUEMATIC OR FLUIDIC

SKETCH

EXPLORATION

PROTOTYPE 1

؜A prototype for a tactile metronome that inflates on the sides of the head with physical controls at the front.

PROTOTYPE 2

؜A test for an inflating bubble that would be used for haptic feedback in either the metronome or the tuner.

PROTOTYPE 3

؜A looks-like prototype of a device that would mount around the neck and work like a metronome.

PROTOTYPE 4

A prototype for the tuner in which a bubble moves from left to right on the back of the neck to indicate the pitch of the instrument being played.

PROTOTYPE 5

A second iteration of Prototype 4.

MOLD MAKING STRATEGY

SEEKING FEEDBACK ON...

؜What advantages do soft robotics have compared to hard robotics that we should consider more?

؜What part of the body would be the most comfortable while playing an instrument? Should the design be very adjustable/customizable/able to be worn anywhere?

؜

1

2

3

؜Are the controls and tactile feedback intuitive? What sensations would best convey either a beat (metronome) or a frequency (tuner)?

؜TUNER OR METRONOME?

؜Thank You!