CES 2021 Research Center for Music, Technology and Health (RCMTH) develops sensorimotor training machine using music

TAIPEI, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Taiwan-based RCMTH introduces Smart Music Playground, a sensorimotor training machine that smartly uses music to help delay the onset and progression of disabilities in the elderly, promote good health in adults, and facilitate early interventions in children.

This product has been selected by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) as one of the 100 featured Taiwanese startups showcased at CES 2021.

Improving modern life for all

RCMTH was established under NTHU's Research Establishment Guidelines as a member of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) in National Tsing Hua University. RCMTH's three main projects are "Music and Health", "Music and Technology", and "Music and Health Technology''. These initiatives aim to bring quality, wellbeing, and spiritual fitness to modern life.

Smart Music Playground' s interactive learning interface includes Music & Hands, Music & Feet, and Music & Limbs. The system collects users' interactions (generated music & physical events) and uses a Bluetooth connection to send data to the cloud for user behavioral analysis. The Smart Music Playground also incorporates AI auto music accompaniment.

Smart Music Playground is an innovatively designed music therapeutic system that monitors motion, endurance, strength, functional hand movements, finger dexterity, and limb coordination.

Music should be enjoyed by everyone

Assistive products for persons with disabilities trains therapeutic instrumental music performance to improve the agility of limbs using easy-to-learn performance methods and incentivized interactive participation during rehabilitation. Furthermore, repetitive behaviors in music playing infuse natural momentum and quality into performances, which improves interactivity with cognitive balancing and hand-eye coordination.

The development team is working on a variety of new therapeutic systems to address multiple sensory balancing fitness, assistive rehabilitation, music behavioral interaction, and music and sensory matching as well as assistive products for people with disabilities.

Music embedded with deep technology

The machine is an embedded system. Using a Linux OS, the system uses DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)-compatible software, including source MIDI sound files, modeled tempo, and an effects generator.

Accompanying the MIDI source, sampling methods can input sounds from nature, traditional instruments, and public spaces into the DAW tonal database.

Users use special sensory devices to generate analog signals, which are converted to digital signals and MIDI using the A/D Converter and Microcontroller.

The system generates the corresponding pitch according to the MIDI signal. Tempo, tone, and background variations are controlled using the interface app.

Lastly, the system uploads data via WIFI to the cloud for AI algorithms to compute the corresponding accompaniment, then sends the information back to match with the piece being played by the user.

CES 2021 TTA-VR Pavilion: https://pse.is/38zwza

SOURCE Research Center for Music, Technology and Health (RCMTH)