4th Term
Fall 2017
Consumer electronics
14 Week time frame
Pulse is a set of in-ear earbud that encourages young musicians to wear hearing protection by offering
an enhanced rehearsal and performance experience
11 million people
In the US have some kind of hearing loss
That's about the entire population
of L.A. and New York combined.
Sérgio Carvalho music producer
"
Even several friends of mine and I have hearing loss
due to not wearing ear protection since we started."
Factors the dissonate young musicians from using hearing protection include price, awareness, and incentive (or lack thereof)
Reasons such as the number of drivers, customization, and the specificity of those products contribute to the rise in cost.
Conclusion
How might we protect the hearing of young starting musicians during
the majority of their time playing?
The major key was to provide an
extra benefit that makes the musician want to use hearing protection
How to do it
Design Criteria
Sound
Protection
Comfortable
Lightweight
Affordable
Complementary
Looks
The final melody was of an on-ear producer, a control base where the user can control how and what they hear.
Pulse is an on-ear gesture-based control interface that gives the user control over what and how they hear themselves and bandmates.
Sound Blockage
Using its shape and foam earpieces Amper isolates the user from outside sounds.
Sound Entrance
A single driver ear-bud allows wanted sound to come in.
Music Reaction
The side OLED screen reacts to the played music and dances with the performer, thus it can be customized to fit any style.
Simple Gesture Control
Use the screen to control the volume of any instrument set in the virtual studio.
Control App
You have the control, Fader equalizer and more settings can be adjusted on the app.
Signal Adapter
The object responsible for connecting every part together, it reads the input from the instrument and outputs it to the app, which is controlled, changed (or not), and then sent to the artists' ears.
Transporting Case
The system works in harmony, every part has its home, so carrying it from one place to another does not become an obstacle in any way.
How is it less expensive?
Number of Drivers
Expensive IEMs use 4 drivers, which exponentially increase the price, while having no scientific proof of their effectiveness, especially for beginning musicians.
Pulse uses a single one.
Estimated Price
Based on the estimated prices of OLED screens and touch-sensitive displays, in a 5-year future, a set's cost would range from US$200 to US$ 275.
How it works
A 1:30 minute video that shows how Pulse is used
Tip
Turn on the sound!
