Skip to Content

Changes for page Music and Cognition

Last modified by Rohan Sobha on 2022/04/05 11:37
From version Icon 3.2 Icon
edited by Doreen Mulder
on 2022/04/04 12:09
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version Icon 5.1 Icon
edited by Jeffrey Lim
on 2022/04/05 09:35
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Icon Page properties
Author
... ... @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
1 -XWiki.DoreenMulder
1 +XWiki.JeffLim
Content
... ... @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
1 -Our robot embodies two strategies:
2 -1. Walking a route
3 -1. Petting
1 +In this section, we discuss what the capabilities of MiRo are in regard to audio, how we designed WAF to use these and how it could help people with dementia (PwDs).
4 4  
5 -To incorporate music into the first strategy, we envision the robot to make ambient sounds simulating walking outside. Due to the physical appearance of the MiRo, we limit the scope of the first strategy to walk on flat surfaces inside the care center. The ambient sounds are played rythmically with every step to make Patients with Dementia (PwD) associate the rythm of the sound to the pace of the current walk.
3 +The MiRo does feature speakers that one could stream music to. WAF will, however, never use them to actually play music. Since WAF is supposed to act like a dog, playing music on it would feel unnatural and may decrease its ability for the user to form a bond with it. It might also be a source of sound pollution for the other residents and caretakers of the care center.
6 6  
7 -To incorporate music into the second strategy, we aim to implement an array of sensory stimuli that are excited when the PwD touch the MiRo. These include Lo-Fi music to calm PwD down and lights that are activated based on the frequency and intensity of touch. The purpose of these means is to embody the concept of snoezelen [[(Hulsegge & Verheul, 1986)>>https://books.google.nl/books?id=OcmtbwAACAAJ]] to compensate for a lack of sensory inputs that these people would experience without the technology.
5 +WAF will use the speakers to play a variety of sounds. During walks, it will make ambient sounds that simulate the footsteps of a real dog. The ambient sounds are played rhythmically with every step to make PwDs associate the rhythm of the sound to the pace of the current walk. WAF is also able to make excited noises when it is walking with the user and everything is going well. Additionally, it can play [[an alarm sound, similar to the siren of an ambulance>>https://youtu.be/oJkaYd2YlKo]], in case the user falls and can't get up or some other similar emergency occurs.
6 +
7 +By making WAF not only look, but also sound similar to a real dog, it could reap the same cognitive benefits of real dogs assisting PwDs, such as increased engagement in the walk itself [[(Marcia S. et al, 2010)>>https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317508326976]].