6th Sense: Haptic Audio Sensations (EE Team)
One in eight Americans and 360 million people worldwide experience partial or complete hearing loss, living in silence. Cultural events, such as performing arts and social gatherings, play a crucial role in uniting communities. However, the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) population is frequently excluded from these benefits. As part of the 6th Sense VibroSonics team, you will apply your knowledge of circuits, amplifiers, PCB design, signal filtering, and more to design and improve a prototype that translates music and other sounds from the human spectrum of hearing into tactile-haptic vibrations for the human body. This will be the basis for an open source wearable device that enables Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, gamers, and workers in high-noise situations feel critical sonic cues and music through vibration.
Objectives
As part of the 6th Sense VibroSonics Electrical Engineering team, you will:
- Design circuits and a Printed Circuit board to handle: Unified PCB with Audio Input, Gain Amplifiers and volume knob on each output, interface for ESP32 Arduino-programmable microprocessor
- Make safety circuitry so audio drivers or audio input, or power supplies do not blow up system if bad or inappropriate components are plugged in.
- Integrate an FM radio module to enable wireless audio transmission from a central audio system
- Integrate a serial quad DAC like MCP4728, MAX5232, LTC2634, DAC7617 to drive up to 4 haptic vibration exciters
- Produce a better gain amplifier circuit for audio input
- Integrate audio output amplifier circuitry into quad DAC output
- Electronically configure the switching audio input jack component to automatically switch between FM radio input and audio jack input.
- Create industry-standard engineering documentation
Motivations
One of the most exhilarating aspects of experiencing live music events is “feeling” the sound pump against your skin. What if you could experience this sensation from your own playlist anywhere you go? Vibrosonics translates audio from the spectrum of human hearing into the tactile sub-audio range to drive vibrations through the body. This is accomplished through a unique audio encoding process that you will help improve.
What would be some of the benefits of this technology? Ludwig Van Beethoven was famous for being a deaf composer who overcame the condition of his ears by using touch on the piano. This technology could enable Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to dance with and experience music in new ways; gamers in VR-AR to feel and react to more aspects of their environment, and workers in high-noise situations feel critical sonic cues to help them avoid accidents.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- You believe in this project and want to make a difference
- Circuits
- Amplifiers, Power Supplies
- Interest in audio-related electronics
- PCB design software
- Good organizational skills
- Collaborative
- A desire to learn listed Preferred Skills to accomplish goals
- DAC, Speaker driver, Filters, and other Audio Circuits
- Eagle CAD PCB design software
- Experience with Arduino IDE and ESP32 microprocessor
Details
Project Partner:
Chet Udell
NDA/IPA:No Agreement Required
Number Groups:2
Project Status:Accepting Applicants
Website:https://www.chetudell.com/cymatics
Video:
https://youtu.be/V33LFuFTfM0
Keywords:
ArduinoHCI / UX / UIOpen SourceSoundAudiohapticsSignalsFFT