Sensebox: A DIY prototyping platform to create audio interfaces for therapy

Foad Hamidi, Sanjay Kumar, Mikhail Dorfman, Fayokemi Ojo, Megha Kottapalli, Amy Hurst

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Customizable systems that let children and adults with disabilities control audio playback can support different forms of therapy, including music therapy and speech-language therapy. We present SenseBox, a low-cost, open-source, customizable hardware/software prototyping platform to turn everyday objects into audio triggers for people with disabilities. Users can add tags to physical objects that when in proximity to SenseBox trigger the playback of associated audio files. We designed SenseBox with input from three therapists and an assistive technology expert. We detail our human-centered design process that took place over 16 months and describe a detailed example use case where SenseBox was used to create an accessible music player for a child with cognitive disabilities. This project illustrates how to design physical computing prototyping platforms for therapists to create customized interfaces for their clients without requiring prior programming or design experience.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTEI 2019 - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages25-34
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781450361965
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 17 2019
Event13th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, TEI 2019 - Tempe, United States
Duration: Mar 17 2019Mar 20 2019

Publication series

NameTEI 2019 - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

Conference

Conference13th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, TEI 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityTempe
Period3/17/193/20/19

Keywords

  • Accessibility
  • Audio Interfaces
  • DIY Assistive Technology
  • Music Therapy
  • Speech-Language Therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Software

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