THE RIPPLE EFFECT PROCESS BOOK DIANA LEE
FALL 2015
PD 483
BRIEF Hearing loss is the third most common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease. Roughly 20 percent of Americans, that’s 48 million people, report some degree of hearing loss. It is a common misconception that the deaf or hearing impaired live without music or don’t need it as much as the rest of the population. This simply isn’t true. In fact, music may play an even larger role for those with hearing impairments. “The Ripple Effect” aims to bring more understanding into the world of hearing loss and bring forth a product that pulls focus into how listening is not just limited to the act of using one’s ears.
ABOUT THE USERS 20%
of Americans report some degree of hearing loss Hearing loss is a major public health issue that is the third most common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease There are degrees of hearing loss that range from mild, moderate, severe, and profound. The tendency for hearing loss increases as you age. Nearly 50 percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.
LISTENING TO MUSIC IS UNIVERSAL THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN THE PROCESS OF LISTENING TO MUSIC FOR THOSE WITH HEARING LOSS IS WHAT THEY USE TO LISTEN WITH
Vibrations play a large part in how the deaf listen to music. Vibrations are the science of sound and can be felt, heard, and seen. We can all experience music even if we can’t hear it with our ears. People who are deaf listen with their hands and bodies and now there is more technology that is helping people listen with sight using lights and digital manipulation.
BENEFITS OF LISTENING TO MUSIC SPEECH
Can help build your listening and language skills at all ages
Hearing impaired speakers tend to have a higher fundamental frequency and vary pitch less, producing problems in speech intelligibility. Studies suggest that specific vocal training and singing songs in appropriately lower keys may help to modify the fundamental frequency and frequency range of hearing impaired client’s speech.
Auditory training is an integral part of the habilitation process with hearing impaired persons
SPEECH & MUSIC Speech and music contain many common properties. The auditory perception of speech and music involves the ability to distinguish between different sounds, their pitches, durations, intensities, and timbres, and the way in which these sounds change over time. These properties aid in the listener’s ability to interpret sounds and attach meaning to them. These commonalities between music and speech allow music and music therapy to provide an alternative and pleasurable tool to enhance traditional auditory training techniques.
IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC FOR THOSE WITH HEARING LOSS:
MUSIC THERAPY Singing along helps practice tone and pitch Listening to music can help hone residual hearing
Children learn to link music to noise, and to understand how noise is created.
Music therapy can address a number of objectives: attention to sound, attention to differences in sound, recognition of objects and events from their sounds, and use of residual hearing to determine distance and location of sound.
SCIENCE OF SOUND When our ear drums vibrate, our brains interpret it as sound. When any object vibrates a frequency is emitted which is why we hear things when objects are knocked together. This is how speakers work. Sound is created by speakers by the oscillating movement of the cone. It generates a vibration through rapid changes in air pressure that causes our ear drums to vibrate. It can also cause other things to vibrate.
Sound waves are 3-dimensional. There are many experiments that allow people to see sound waves in order to more fully understand them. They are called cymatics. Frequencies are played into substances like water, sand, and corn starch and water to show the patterns of sound waves.
WHY WATER? Water is a natural element that allows us to see sound in its natural state. Everyone knows what It is, it is easily found in the home, and it is used as a natural educational tool to learn about soundwaves, frequencies, and pitch. By harnessing this science in an everyday object we can demonstrate how sound works in a very simple and easy to understand object.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES 1. Useable for entire spectrum of hearing loss When designing this device, I wanted to try to be as inclusive as possible and allow people of varying degrees of hearing loss to be able to enjoy the product. I want it to bring more insight to the science of sound and how we may be misinformed about the deaf experience music.
2. Visually and physically communicates rhythm and pitch with or without sound The object of this project is to create a music device that allows you to see and feel the music whether you have no trouble hearing or if you are completely deaf. I want it to speak to the importance of music in our lives and how we can experience is equally.
3. Easy to use for all ages These days everyone and their grandmother has a smart phone. Bluetooth is no longer considered a new technology and it is easy to use. By incorporating bluetooth and using water in my design, my goal is to reach a wide audience of use.
EARLY CONCEPTS AND SKETCHES
Orb with removable contained water chamber that affords a cupping motion.
Waterproof bath speaker that creates ripples in the tub.
Cone shaped water chamber that sits on a speaker and directs sound around 360 degrees.
THE PROCESS
1
DISASSEMBLY Taking apart various stereos, desktop speakers, waterproof bluetooth speakers, and outdoor speakers to understand how speakers, amplifiers, bluetooth, and switches work
2
FORM STUDIES Modeling clay, blue foam, and the vacuform were used to test out initial form concepts. This led to the realization that the original concept would not work due to the weight of the piece that would need to be oscillated.
3
EXPERIMENTATION Initial experimentation began with a petri dish on top of a speaker connected to a 6 watt amplifyer. Water, shuffle board beads, salt, and soap water were tested.
TURNING POINT After multiple tests using vibrations coming from the bottom of the dish, I realized the water and dish was too heavy for the speaker to move so I decided to flip it upside down and test the results if the movement was coming from above. The result was much more visible movement of the water without needing a large amplifyer and crank up the volume.
QUICK SKETCHUP MODELS Playing with a “warm” material to place hands on
Omni-directional ball to direct sound out 360 degrees
Re-evaluating how to move water and arriving at the record player concept
4
MAKING The laser cutter was used to create the shape of the housing and components out of 1/4� plywood and 1/8� acrylic. Electrical components were sautered, switched, and glued down. Then solid ash was milled and cut to create a veneer that was steamed and bonded to the exterior
MAKING MY OWN VENEER
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
“The Ripple Effect” is a speaker that harnesses the science of sound to give the user a wholistic experience of listening. Sounds are displayed through the vibrations in water to show different rhythms, beats, and frequencies. By holding the speaker or touching the surface the speaker is on, the user can feel the vibrations as well as see them. There is no digital manipulation or translation of the sound, only the simple waves created by the movement of the speaker cone inside. It demonstrates the science of sound and creates a universal visual for those who cannot hear or are hard of hearing. It generates awareness to our other senses and allows us to experience music from a different perspective. These perspectives are what gives us precedent to aim for universal design. The more we spread knowlege about other’s experiences, the closer we can get to these goals of more inclusive design, much like a ripple effect.
COMPONENTS
Music pin Water dish
Volume and power knob
Rheostat
Movement transfering pin
Foam pad
Wire grommet
Electronics lid
Waterproof speaker
Amplifyer
Acrylic tube
Rechargeable battery Resonating base
Plug to charge battery
Ash veneer
Pin attached to speaker transfers vibrations to music pin above
Lid slips over acrylic tube to lock electronics in place and shields against water
Pocket for electronics
Gaps to allow sound to flow out from all sides
Pin folds in when device is in the off position
Pin extends when device is on to reach the water
AESTHETICS The form of “The Ripple Effect” is inspired by the record player. I didn’t want to visualize sound digitally like many of the products on the market do. Instead, I wanted to represent sound in a natural element without additional manipulation and was inspired by hidden moment of ripples in a pond. I took the basics of the record player form and put a twist on it. Instead of the arm “reading” the music from the record, it is feeding the music into the water to create waves and ripples that represent sound. Like the record player, the emphasis in the product is in the arm. I wanted the arm to be a bright bold color to call attention to it and draw attention to where the vibrations are coming from.
INSPIRATION
Special thanks to some wonderful local businesses in Eugene: Stereo Workshop Oregon Electronics Modern Pewter Rabbit AHM Brands Best Buy
Diana Lee Product and Materials Studies University of Oregon Senior Studio Fall 2015