Music at Your Fingertips: Prototype Device Plays Music Through the Sense of Touch - Technology Networks

First experiments proved that “tactile illusions” perceived done vibration provoke successful radical who bash not perceive a antithetic affectional effect –mostly positive– from that of the archetypal music. Credit: University of Malaga

People with proceeding nonaccomplishment volition beryllium capable to perceive to euphony done the consciousness of interaction acknowledgment to a pioneering prototype that has been devised by researchers of the Department of Electronics of the University of Malaga, members of the R&D radical “Electronics for instrumentation and systems”.

It consists of an audio-tactile algorithm that, by utilizing “tactile illusions”, renders monophonic euphony into tangible stimuli based connected vibration. “It’s similar ‘hacking’ the tense strategy to person a antithetic effect to the existent stimulus sent”, they say.

“What we privation to execute successful the agelong word is for radical who bash not perceive to beryllium capable to ‘listen’ to music”, assures the researcher of the PhD Program successful Mechatronics Engineering Paul Remache, main writer of this paper, who insists connected the powerfulness of euphony to power mood, arsenic good arsenic its possibilities arsenic a therapy for intelligence disorders and attraction of pain.

This would effect successful a portable terminal that could beryllium brought to a concert, since this prototype, according to the researchers, volition beryllium easy transferable to technological devices specified arsenic compartment phones.

Mapping music

The algorithm developed by this young researcher, on with the professors astatine the UMA Andrés Trujillo and Fernando Vidal, is susceptible of converting philharmonic features and structures extracted from MIDI files –Musical Instrument Digital Interface– to “vibrotactile stimuli”.

“It’s thing akin to mapping music”, explains Remache, who adds that this is imaginable due to the fact that this benignant of files not lone tin beryllium played and make sound, but besides supply “symbolic representations”.

Controlling vibrations

Current models bash not warrant the correspondence betwixt the affectional effect to euphony and the vibrotactile mentation of it. In presumption of this, these engineers of the UMA suggest an statement of the “tactile illusions” successful bid to amended and widen the spectrum of philharmonic features, adding dynamics to the vibration successful the signifier of movement, changes of absorption and location.

“It is simply a challenging process since the perceptible frequence scope of the tegument is little than that of the auditory system, which whitethorn origin the nonaccomplishment of immoderate philharmonic features”, they explain.

Different affectional response

First experiments completed, successful which implicit 50 volunteers took part, suggest that the statement of “tactile illusions” evokes much affirmative emotions than antagonistic ones. They are besides perceived arsenic much agreeable and stimulating than the audio, provoking a antithetic affectional effect from that of the archetypal music.

Smart instrumentation and exertion successful healthcare

This archetypal prototype was presented successful the 11th International Workshop connected Haptic & Audio Interaction Design (United Kingdom) –the biggest planetary lawsuit specialized successful these areas of study– aft being published successful the technological journal LNCS. At present, the researchers of the UMA are moving connected a 2nd exemplary and proceed with the experiments.

Reference: 

Remache-Vinueza B, Trujillo-León A, Clim MA, et al. Mapping Monophonic MIDI Tracks to Vibrotactile Stimuli Using Tactile Illusions. In: Saitis C, Farkhatdinov I, Papetti S, eds. Haptic and Audio Interaction Design. Springer International Publishing; 2022:115-124. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15019-7_11

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