Hybrid Futures
Audio feedback for enhanced physical rehabilitation
Continuous Auditory Feedback
Using continuous streams of Audio-Biofeedback has advantages over visual feedback in that it can be confined to the periphery of attention and is spatiotemporally well suited to provide information on the efforts and rhythms unique to walking, balancing and range of motion exercises in personal rehabilitation programs. With the ubiquity of earbud-style Bluetooth headphones, we see the opportunity for sound, driven by data from wearable sensing devices, to provide unique patient-specific spatiotemporal information to aid in their rehabilitation programs. This project explores the use of movement-controlled Continuous Auditory Feedback (CAF), to enhance motion awareness and motivate human movement. The results from a preliminary user study indicate a relationship between CAF and the phases of the walking gait, particularly the anticipation of the footstep. From this preliminary study, we conclude that CAF has the potential to inform human movement for health and rehabilitation. Further case studies will combine design and human-computer interaction knowledge with Biomedical Engineering and Biomechanics.