Tempo

Disciplines Industrial design, CMF, UX design
Completed
March 2020

Design team Kelsey Leppek | Rafer Stromme
Personal Contributions
Strategy and Research | Industrial Design | CMF Development

 

A Neuro-Headband for Music Therapy

Tempo is a wearable and app experience that plays music based on neural feedback.
The goal of Tempo is to democratize music therapy techniques and combining these techniques with familiar experiences like listening to music streaming apps or using an exercise app.

 

Background

Neurologic music therapy leverages music to prompt movement, vocalization, or mental recall.

-Eric Feldman, Music Therapist and founder of Cottonwood Music Therapy, Fort Collins, CO  Neurologic Music Therapy

In music therapy, music is paired with traditional therapy methods to help patients promote physical rehabilitation, manage stress, and address cognitive and emotional needs. Tempo was designed specifically with stroke patients in mind, but could benefit a range of patients, including those dealing with dementia, Parkinson’s, and brain injury from an injury.

 
 

Motor skills

Music affects movement. Musical cues significantly increase the development of parts of the brain integral to sound and movement.

 

Mood and memory

Music with familiar or emotional associations make certain songs effective for speech, memory, and emotional therapies.

 

Speech therapy

Patients who suffer from brain damage from a stroke, dementia, or injury often benefit from music therapy, as it activates and connects communication centers of the brain.

 

The music matters.

In music therapy, the music matters. Intrinsic musical qualities, like cadence, rhythm and tempo, determine whether or not a song pairs effectively with a particular therapy, like physical therapy and motor skills exercises. Subjective qualities, like familiarity and emotional associations, make certain music effective for speech, memory, and emotional therapies.

 
 

Tempo plays music optimized for music therapy.

The headband combines an electroencephalogram (EEG) with small external speakers positioned in front of the ears that play music. Tempo tailors a music feed for different music therapies based on user input, neural activity, and the kinds of music to which the user responds positively. Music preferences and streaming are controlled app-side,

 
 
 

External audio for situational awareness

Tempo plays music from external speakers (as opposed to internal speakers like earbuds), leaving the ears open and ensuring the patient has situational awareness and can hear their surroundings.

 

Dual sided buttons for users with mobility challenges

Buttons on both sides of the device allow the user to skip tracks, change volume, and play or pause music playback. The dual sided and tactile buttons ensures ease of use for patients with compromised mobility.

 

Neural feedback dictates music selection

EEG sensors monitor brain activity while the patient is listening to music. This real time neuro-feedback is incorporated into a music selection algorithm, ensuring that music is selected based on whether or not it’s actually effective.

 

Band adjustment

The band is tightened and loosened using a pressure fit system, similar to headphones.

 

Music selection and health insights

The app allows patients to select music that is effective for certain therapies while also displaying health insights. This helps to democratize therapy personalization and selection, relating it to like listening to music streaming services or using an exercise app.

 

 CMF Development

Inspired by soft tech and audio accessories

The front band combines fabrics with high gloss plastic and metal accents, relating the product to audio devices on the market and positioning the device as an audio accessory in addition to a medical device. This encourages its use in casual, everyday settings.

However, Tempo still maintains important features of medical devices—the components that contact skin are made from soft touch plastics to ensure that it is both comfortable and easy to clean.

 

Designed for destigmatized, everyday use

The colors were chosen for their ability to compliment the user’s personal style, or blend into their hair or skin if so chosen.
Taking cues from headphones and wearables, the device is designed to be viewed and treated as an accessory, rather than
a purely medical device.

 Initial Interviews

Ideation and Prototyping

 

Initial strategy ideation

 

Concept development

Component analysis

Device tear downs of EEG products and consumer electronics with external audio provided a basis for our component configuration.

 

Thank you!


Many thanks to our interviewees for generously sharing their
experiences with us, and to the designers at Sonosite
who provided mentorship throughout the project.

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