Pulse

What it does

Pulse Visualiser and Bands - an blend of dynamic lights that change with the volume of the music, are combined with real time lyrics, and rhythmic vibrations, to create an immersive experience of music that allows users to feel connected.

Your inspiration

This project was inspired by wanting to create an inclusive experience for people close to me, including my dad, and friends who have faced feelings of social isolation. Despite wanting to engage in social music experiences they have faced challenges, including struggling to hear music, hearing aids making music sound flat and soulless, and being unable to comprehend lyrics, so I wanted to create a rich and vibrant experience of music for them. The visualiser and bands allow the users to experience the full spectrum of frequencies, that hearing aids are unable to facilitate, as they only operate within the sound frequencies of speech .

How it works

In the visualiser, there is a speaker, which can be connected to the user’s phone to select music. Based on this sound, there is a sound sensor that detects changes in volume, and illuminates LEDs. As the volume of the sound increases, more LEDs are illuminated in the ring. The visualiser also features an LED lyrics display screen, which receives lyrics, from a real-time lyrics API, so the user can follow along with the lyrics of the music. It also has a volume dial and control buttons. The volume dial has an LED which changes in brightness to give a visual indicator of the volume of the music for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Both the visualiser and bands also feature a vibration motor, which vibrates depending on the volume of the music. This receives data from a sound sensor, and outputs varying intensities of vibration, using pulse width modulation.

Design process

The process began with research, which indicated that haptics and visual stimuli, stimulate the auditory cortex in the brains if deaf people, in the same way that sound stimulates hearing people. I interviewed deaf users to understand problem areas, which included problems with comprehending lyrics, social isolation & being unable to hear the full range of frequencies in the music. Initial concepts were sketched, for social experiences of music, that were visual and/or tactile. Users evaluated these and the consensus was that they wanted a product that didn’t feel like an assistive device that made them stand out, but something they could use with others who were hearing. Users mentioned a preference for a gradient of light, and real-time lyrics. The initial cardboard prototype was liked, but too large and the lights were not clearly visible. Users also mentioned how the position of the lyrics screen was not clearly visible from some angles, so this was iterated and refined. An initial CAD model was developed, however users thought the design looked too bulky for a portable device. The final visualiser concept features a front LED display, with a lyrics display, that is flush to the front of the device, and synchronised bands which vibrate to the rhythm of the music.

How it is different

Creating a visual experience of music is something that has not previously been explored within the assistive technology segment for deaf users. Although vibration devices have been explored in academic research, these products are not widely commercially available. Furthermore, technology as hearing aids provide a limited solution, helping with speech comprehension, but limiting frequencies of sound outside this range. This product creates a unique experience of music in a way that differs from the way users currently have to experience music, which includes turning up speakers or headphones extremely loud, which can be damaging to their hearing, and others in their surrounding environment. Other solutions include holding a balloon in concerts, to feel the vibration, or touching speakers to feel vibrations, but both of these solutions are difficult to implement inti daily life, and make users stand out in an undesirable way.

Future plans

To develop this concept further, electronic code would need to be developed to integrate the real-time lyrics, alongside licensing. The hope would be to develop the concept in collaboration with a company such as Sony, who have expertise in this field. Thorough research has been conducted on costs of manufacturing and electronic components, and due to the differentiation of these products within the market, a high profit margin could be achieved, with a 60% markup for the visualiser - sold at £210, and 80% for the bands - sold at £40 each. These products would be priced as premium, targeted towards both deaf users and music enthusiasts.

Awards

This design has won the award for best final year project, from the institute of engineering designers.