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Innovative Tactile Metronome Design for Musicians Enhances Rhythm Without Distraction

This project focuses on creating an innovative tactile metronome aimed at improving musicians' rhythm without the distraction of conventional audio and visual cues. Motivated by the needs of a Carnegie Mellon music student, our design features tactile stimuli like vibrations or compression, ensuring users can internalize beats. The device maintains tempos between 40 to 260 bpm, while being comfortable and non-intrusive, avoiding attachment to key playing areas. Our goal is to provide a seamless experience that enhances musical performance through precise tactile feedback.

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Innovative Tactile Metronome Design for Musicians Enhances Rhythm Without Distraction

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  1. Physiological Metronome Adam Pala, Ben Fleming, Cole Drifka, Jeff Theisen Clients: Dr. Bill Fahl, Dept. of Oncology Vanessa Young, Carnegie Mellon music student Advisor: Dr. Paul Thompson, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering

  2. Background • Metronomes provide time or rhythm to musicians • Currently metronome features include: • LCD display • Mechanical and electronic timing mechanisms • Beats which are audible and/or tactile • Analog and digital user outputs

  3. Design Motivation • The motivation for our design comes from Vanessa Young, a music student at Carnegie Mellon • Conventional visual and audio metronomes tend to be distracting • Currently there is no adequate device on the market which functions as a metronome and uses a precise tactile pulse as the stimulus • Such a metronome would allow the user to “internalize” the beat of the music

  4. Client Requirements and Design Constraints • The client requires the following for the metronome device: • Maintain the tempo in an inaudible and accurate manner • Cover a tempo range of 40 to 260 bpm (beats per minute) • Should not attach to parts of the body involved in playing the instrument (i.e. forearm or wrist)

  5. “Constant/Permanent” Features of the Design • The circuit (with slight modifications) Original: http://electroschematics.com/216/electronic-metronome-circuit-schematic/

  6. “Constant/Permanent” Features of the Design • The case http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/1593P.pdf

  7. Design Aspect: What is the form of tactile stimulus? Options: • Vibration • Compression • Shock • Tap

  8. Option: Vibration • One option for the tactile stimulus would be a vibration, similar to that felt on a phone • Vibration would be produced by an electric motor • Pro • The user would likely have no trouble feeling the vibration • Con • Ability to differentiate between successive vibrations may be difficult at high tempos

  9. Option: Compression • Another possible option for the stimulus would be a band around the arm, leg, or lower back which “squeezed” the user to the selected beat • The compression would be produced by a solenoid which shortened the band for each beat • Pro • Comfort • Con • Uniform compression may be difficult to achieve • Complicated construction

  10. Option: Shock • A small shock could be provided to the user to represent the beat or time of the music • There are several problems with this option including user safety, variability in shock based on user skin conditions (e.g. sweating), and user comfort

  11. Option: Tap • The tactile stimulus could be a mechanical tap • Generated from a solenoid directly in contact with the body • Pro • Good resolution at high tempos • Con • Size of solenoid

  12. Design Matrix: What is the form of tactile stimulus?

  13. Design Aspect: Where to locate the tactile stimulus? Options: • Upper Arm • Lower Back • Ear

  14. Option: Upper Arm • I-Pod elastic docking band • Pros • Ease of attachment • User comfort • Cons • Interference with musical performance • Tactile discrimination

  15. Option: Lower Back • “Anchoring-Cap” idea • Adhesive padding ring • Cylindrical solenoid firmly positioned in durable plastic cap • Pros • Immobilized • Visually concealed • Cons • Need to replace adhesive • Possibility of discomfort due to sitting • Tactile discrimination a question “Anchoring-Cap” as a means to secure the tactile transducer to the lower back.

  16. Option: Ear Attachment • Ear clip, ear-formed adapter, or behind the ear designs • Pros • Most proximal to audible processing center to internalize tempo • Most sensory discrimination relative to arm back • Cons: • User specificity • Stability Tactile transducer attached behind ear lobe. Tactile transducer embedded in a form-fitting material.

  17. Design Matrix: Where to locate the tactile stimulus?

  18. Design Aspect: How to attach the tactile transducer? Options: • Adhesive • Elastic • Form-fitting

  19. Option: Adhesive Pros Conforms to body shape Secure attachment Cons Adhesive will wear out Uncomfortable to remove

  20. Option: Elastic Pros Secure attachment Variety of options available Cons May not work for all locations

  21. Option: Form-Fitting Pros Conforms to body shape Cons Not as secure Possibly difficult to construct

  22. Design Matrix: How to attach the tactile transducer?

  23. Design Aspect: How to design the user interface? Options: • Knob/LCD display • Buttons/LCD display • Knob/Tick Marks

  24. Option:Knob/LCD Display • Pros • User friendly • More precise/accurate display • Cons • Difficult to design and construct commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potentiometer.jpg detail.en.china.cn/provide/detail,1078195290.html

  25. Option: Buttons/LCD Display • Pros • Very user friendly • More precise/accurate display • Cons • Very difficult to design and construct detail.en.china.cn/provide/detail,1078195290.html http://www.bigfoto.com/sites/galery/closeup1/digital-camera-buttons.jpg

  26. Option: Knob/ Tick Marks • Pros • Easiest to construct • Most cost-effective option • Cons • Least accurate/precise option commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potentiometer.jpg http://www.telerik.com/help/wpf/images/RadialScaleTickMarks-Desc.png

  27. Design Matrix: How to design the user interface?

  28. Final Design Summary • Case contains protruding knob/potentiometer • Tick marks indicate tempo (aligned with knob) • Case outputs to tactile stimulus via an output jack • Tactile stimulus attaches to user in ear-specific manner, delivers tempo

  29. Ethical Considerations • Device is intended for human users • Safety is a must • Long duration of use • Tactile device must be safe for continuous use • Tactile stimulus concerns

  30. Future Work • Construction • Testing: • Compare musicians using tactile metronome to visual and audio metronomes • Determine if resolution changes with excessive background sound • More user-friendly interface • Programmable tempos • Bluetooth synchronization among multiple users

  31. Acknowledgments • We would like to thank: • Dr. Bill Fahl, client • Vanessa Young, client • Dr. Paul Thompson, advisor • Amit Nimunkar, electronics assistance

  32. Questions:

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