Childcare

Interactive Musical Instrument for children with physical disabilities

Many children suffer with physical disabilities on different levels, as kids grow older its encouraged that they experience a healthy childhood. Providing the nessisery resources for an interactive musical instrument for children with physical disabilities. As there are many excelling musical products for disabled children on the current market, such as a children’s sensory piano, a flat mat with sensors on each note releasing tones as its being pressed. Find a gift went on to say about there product,

By using a mat to act as a physical shell from electrical wiring, preventing the child interacting with any electrical components. This toy will specifically be for kids with diplegic cerebral palsy which is common in children causing the low region, leg muscles in particular tend to be extremely tight, and over time. This product will also be a sphere shaped object aimed at children ages 5-8, on this sphere there will be a number of holes, in these holes will contain sensors that will trigger off sound frequencies when a finger is inserted. The aim for this toy is to not only maintain the concentration of a child but to also give the felling and enjoyment of playing a musical instrument.

Background

Meanwhile the main focus for this project is children with physical disabilities there has been various products on the market that wasn’t originally targeted for children with disabilities, whilst researching vibro acoustic musical instruments, two products, ‘Soundbox’ and the ‘Minibox’ from soundbeam.co.uk. These devices enable the vibrations of sound and music to be experienced physically, through Vibroacoustics. They contain loudspeakers mounted beneath resonant cavities that transmit vibration directly to the body [2] Even though the soundbox is on a much larger scale fitting a minimum of two children on the genral concept of the product was something this project needed.

Soundbox and Minibox enable the vibrations of sound and music to be experienced physically, through Vibroacoustics. They contain loudspeakers mounted beneath resonant cavities that transmit vibration directly to the body. Soundbox and Minibox were originally designed to enable people with hearing impairments to make music using Soundbeam. Subsequent use however, has found that experiencing recorded music physically, through Vibroacoustics, can also be extremely beneficial in other ways. [3] Another product known to be quite popular on the market is the ‘Gigantic Keyboard Playmat’ mentioned before in the introduction, not can you play the piano with your foot but it has stored 8 musical instruments to select from. A gigantic keyword playmat is not just for the musically gifted [1]. With super-responsive keys, four different modes, and no less than eight different instruments, this is a colourful addition to any kids playroom’.

Musical therapy

Music therapy is a skillful way of using musical elements in order to restore physical ability, emotional and mental health. For example if there was a particular song that brought back enjoyable memories, this would trigger the emotional side of a person causing them to express there progress whether it be physical or a mental. As well as curing emotional pain, this is not to achieve musical goals but therapeutic goals. Musical therapy has aided to thousands of patients. [2]“In the 20th century professionals formally began after world war I and II, when musicians of all types amateur and professionals, went round hospitals playing for thousands of veterans with physical and emotional trauma from the war”. Applying this method will aim to keep the mind stimulated as well as making the experience enjoyable by small musical tones

Vibroacoustics/ Vibroacoustic therapy

Likewise with musical therapy, vibroacoustics also carry the same principles of using sound to produce vibrations that are applied directly to the body. Vibroacoustic therapy [3] went on to say this method could help you with pain from an injury, Parkinson’s, and strokes. Incorporating this feature to the project will not only make it will also make it diverse for different disabilities such as the blind. Release short waves of vibration will enable the user to play a musical tone. One of many concerns

Physical disabilities

As there are many different products on the markets, by using them as a template made room for ideas also taking into consideration what age and physical disabilities its aimed. While this product is aimed at children with cerebral palsy , researching upon the different types were needed as there are different forms of cerebral palsy for example

Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is a neurological defects; affecting the brain stem and spinal cord, Inhibiting the child ability to function on a normal level. Approximately 1,800 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year [5]. ... Just under a half of children with cerebral palsy were born prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation). As this desies continues to affect children of all ages there are many stages to cerebral palsy that affect different parts of the body such as

Diplegic cerebral palsy

A disease which affects the lower region of the body, ‘Leg muscles in particular tend to be extremely tight, and over time, this causes joints to stiffen, reducing the range of motion. Diplegic CP is considered one of the milder forms of the disorder, and most children’s intelligence and cognitive functions are not severely affected, although they may take longer to reach intellectual milestones’. Where as hemiplegia affects the upper and lower part of a child’s body, its caused by injury to parts of the brain that control movement of the limbs and face’. Hemiplegia is relatively common condition, affecting up to one child in 1,000.

Moniplegic Cerebral Palsy

Monplegic CP is a condition that only affects one side of the body this could be an arm or a leg. (Aubrey Bailey) went on to say, Increased muscle tone results in decreased motion in the joints of the affected limb. As the child ages these symptoms may resolve completely. Targeting this product at children with this mild condition will still allow the child to interact with the instrument even if one arm has been diagnosed.

Electronics

Humans we are surrounded by electricity everyday, from computer games at home to lights on the streets. Its also the science on how to control electrical energy, electronics deal with circuits that needs components such as, transistors, resistor, inductor etc. A transistor is a miniature electronic component that can do two different jobs (Woodford 2016)[8]. It can work either as an amplifier or a switch, for the sake of this project it will mostly be used to amplify the signal because if there isn’t enough current flowing through the circuit it could affect the sensor resolution. The resolution of a sensor measures its ability to detect a change in a sensed quantity, and is usually quoted in terms of the smallest change that can be detected (Sinclair 2001)[9] the nonlinear behaviour of active components and there ability to control electron flows makes amplification of weak signals possible. The history of electronics began to evolve separately from that of electricity late in the 19th century with the identification of the electron by the English physicist Sir Joseph John Thomson and the measurement of its electric charge by the American physicist Robert A. Millikan in 1909 (Encyclopedia Britannica. September 2016).

Health and safety

Carrying out this project will involve handling electricity and current, When working with electricity making sure no wires are exposed.

Sensors

As humans we perceive the world through sensors, enabling us to detect light and colour, sound, scent, taste and pain. These are called the 5 senses, each person has five sense organs that take in information from your environment and send it to the brain. Your brain then processes the information and tells your body how to respond. The sense organs are your eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin [10]. In the electronic world sensors can be classed as active or passive, an active sensor is one that can generate a signal without a power supply be powered, passive sensors need an external source of energy which would the raspberry pi. As there will be more than one sensor around the product.

Pressure pads

Pressure pads is a sensitive surface activated by weight, these were used for automatic doors before motion sensed technology. This could also be an alternative way of triggering the sound projected from the product. Pressure pad technology was an early means of automating tasks. Since the pad relies on a simple circuit with a mechanical activation, it was very easy and inexpensive to produce [11]. Incorporating pressure pads can also reduce the amount of force needed

Option analysis

This musical sphere has several sensors embedded in the product, the small electronic circuit will rest in the sphere shaped product triggering sensors and releasing sound elements, engaging the child. There are numerous electronic ways of producing a censored project. Raspberry pi, a small case less sized computer with a HDMI and analogue video outputs, it can also hold two usb devices and can connect to the internet using an Ethernet cable. Raspberry pi a cheap, robust and reliable device, aiming to teach young children electronics. All electrical circuit needs to be tested before interacting with the child.

Raspberry pi has also been proven to be educational, teaching kids in school (Jane Wakefield and LJ Rich 2013) [12] from the BBC Schools around the UK are to be given 15,000 free microcomputers, with a view to creating a new generation of computer scientists. By having a HDMI output meaning a computer monitor can be connected. Meanwhile there are alternative ways of getting creating a sensory musical instrument. Connecting a Capacitive touch sensor will works by detecting the child’s movements. Capacitive touch sensing used for stuff like touch-reactive tablets and phones. The musical sphere allows you to create electronic frequencies that can react to human touch, with up to 5 individual sensors

Reference

• BBC REF http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21243825)
• http://www.musictherapy.org/about/history/ (music therapy)
• http://www.birthinjuryguide.org/cerebral-palsy/types/diplegic/
• http://www.birthinjuryguide.org/cerebral-palsy/types/diplegic/
• http://www.birthinjuryguide.org/cerebral-palsy/types/diplegic/
• http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0932466.html (SENSORS)
• http://www.vibroacoustictherapy.com/ (VIBROACOUSTICS)