The model includes an audio-tactile algorithm that transforms monophonic music into tangible stimuli based on vibration utilizing “tactile illusions.”
An audio-tactile algorithm developed by University of Malaga scientists communicates melodic information through vibration.
A ground-breaking model established by professionals from the Department of Electronics at the University of Malaga and members of the R&D group “Electronics for Instrumentation and Systems,” will permit those with hearing loss to listen to music through the sense of touch.
It consists of an audio-tactile algorithm that transforms monophonic music into tangible stimuli based on vibration making use of “tactile impressions.” According to the scientists, “It resembles ‘hacking’ the nervous system to receive a various reaction to the genuine stimulus sent out.”
“What we want to accomplish in the long term is for individuals who do not hear to be able to ‘listen’ to music”, assures scientist Paul Remache, the primary author of this paper, who insists on the power of music to influence mood, along with its possibilities as a therapy for mental disorders and treatment of pain.
The scientists anticipate that this will result in a portable terminal that might be given a performance because this prototype will be easily transferable to technological devices like smart devices.
Scientists of the Department of Electronic devices have established an audio-tactile algorithm that conveys melodic information through vibration. Credit: University of Malaga
Mapping music
This young researcher, working with professors Andrés Trujillo and Fernando Vidal from the UMA, developed an algorithm that can transform musical functions and structures taken from MIDI files– Musical Instrument Digital User Interface– into “vibrotactile stimuli.”
The first experiments showed that “tactile impressions” perceived through vibration provoke in people who do not hear a various emotional reaction– primarily positive– from that of the original music. Credit: University of Malaga
“It’s something comparable to mapping music”, explains Remache, who includes that this is possible due to the fact that this type of file not only can be played and produce noise, but likewise offer “symbolic representations”.
Controlling vibrations
Current models do not call for the correspondence between the psychological response to music and the vibrotactile variation of it. In view of this, these engineers of the UMA propose an arrangement of the “tactile illusions” in order to enhance and extend the spectrum of musical functions, adding characteristics to the vibration in the type of motion, switches, and area.
“It is a tough procedure considering that the noticeable frequency variety of the skin is lower than that of the auditory system, which may cause the loss of some musical features”, they discuss.
Individuals with hearing loss will have the ability to listen to music through the sense of touch thanks to a pioneering model that has actually been created by researchers of the Department of Electronics of the University of Malaga. Credit: University of Malaga
Various emotional reaction
The outcomes of the first experiments, in which more than fifty volunteers took part, indicate that the plan of “tactile impressions” generates more positive than negative emotions. They are also viewed as more acceptable and revitalizing than the audio, provoking a various emotional reaction from that of the original music.
Smart instrumentation and application in health care
This first model existed in the 11th International Workshop on Haptic & & Audio Interaction Design (UK)– the biggest international event specialized in these locations of research study– after being published in the scientific journal LNCS. At present, the scientists of the UMA are dealing with a second design and continuing with the experiments.
The research is the product of Paul Remache’s doctoral thesis and is part of the National Strategy job “Smart instrumentations and application in health care.”
Reference: “Mapping Monophonic MIDI Tracks to Vibrotactile Stimuli Using Tactile Illusions” by Byron Remache-Vinueza, Andrés Trujillo-León, Maria-Alena Clim, Fabián Sarmiento-Ortiz, Liliana Topon-Visarrea, Alexander Refsum Jensenius and Fernando Vidal-Verdú, 18 August 2022, Lecture Notes in Computer System Science.DOI: 10.1007/ 978-3-031-15019-7_11