Logo designed by Azza Borovicka-Swanson
ViRUM is an interactive, consumer wearable product that connects to a user's phone and simulates the feeling of the music's vibrations as if attending a concert. What sets ViRUM apart from other haptic wearables is its inflatable silicone layer, which is used to enhance the vibration to more accurately emulate the experience of a live concert. This project began as a Physical and Digital Fabrication assignment, and with the encouragement of my professor, my team received a grant to continue development of our product. After extensive materials research and development, a full rework of the circuitry, and creating an original jacket design, our low-fidelity prototype was very well-received at the RISE engineering and technology research Expo in April of this year. We are currently pursuing options for commercialization and our technology is Patent Pending. Special thanks to mentor Prof. Mark Sivak, and project partners Azza Borovicka-Swanson and Finn Cuccia-Fenton!
Azza Wearing ViRUM Prototype at RISE Expo
Above: Estimated Circuit Diagram
Below: Sound Frequency Diagram Generated from Fast Fourier Transform, Divided Into Bins
My primary responsibility throughout the development of this project has been researching, prototyping, and implementing the code, electronic components and drivers, and circuitry management. Early tests of the music input found that the raw data collected from aux cable was not representative of the music, and had little to no correlation to rhythm or bass that we were trying to emulate. After some research, it was determined that a Fast Fourier Transform could be used on the aux data to make it more representative of the music without processing delay, and the values of the generated plot (example shown in below diagram) could be mapped to the intensity of the motors, similar to a simple audio visualizer.
Aux cord data from right channel used as analog input
Analog input converted in time without excess processing delay into sound frequency diagram (left) using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and then divided into bins in order to more accurately represent music behavior
Average value of each bin is then mapped to the vibration intensity of small haptic motors, so that they vibrate in beat to the music
Bin 1 represents "Standout" portion of music, or the parts of music first noticed by many listeners, such as vocals
Bin 2 represents Rhythm and Bass portions of music
Bins 3 and 4 are unused, as the average value taken from these sections are not representative of the sensation of the music
24 motors are powered by a chain of 12 QWIIC motor driver boards, each controlling one motor representing Bin 1 and another representing Bin 2
Current Prototype Silicone Bladder
Developing the silicone bladder was key to differentiating our product from others on the market. I worked with Azza in early ideation, determining that the inflatable inner layer must be made of a flexible, elastic material in order for vibrations from haptic motors to translate across the bladder and create the desired sensations on the body. Throughout the project, Azza primarily focused on materials research and prototyping, including inflation techniques and optimization, ideal material durability and behaviors, and somatic body mapping. We also determined that ideal sensations occurred when the bladder was inflated fully and the surface of the bladder was taut, allowing the vibrations to translate across the bladder with minimal dampening. This inflated bladder also helps compress the body, creating a comforting sensory effect similar to that of a weighted blanket.
Body Map of Sensitive Areas Developed from Somatic Testing
Integrating Silicone Bladders with Jacket Lining
Earlier Form-Fitting Silicone Bladder Prototype