AwareAble Android
Providing a sound identification and awareness device for individuals with hearing impariments
Keywords
Android Application, Assistive Technology, Hearing impariments, User study
Overview
The aim of this project is to develop a context-aware system able to inform a user about the type of sounds in a given environment by providing haptic and visual feedback using a wearable device (smartwatch).
Originally designed to explore the concept of providing acoustic localization, the focus of this project shifted as our research determined that location was of significantly lesser import compared to the ability to determine what the type of sound was present.
Involvement
- Developed a smart watch prototype to help deaf people identify the source and type of various audio stimuli.
- Programmed the application to play different vibration patterns corresponding to different types of sounds.
- Performed controlled environment studies with the smart watch prototype to evaluate its usability.
- Test subjects were able to identify various audio stimuli with over 80% accuracy from the usability testing of the smart watch prototype.
