Rythma: sensory management for young adults with autism
Rythma aims to make travelling easier for those with Autism with regards to the sensory overload they may face.
Sensory sensitivities provide continual obstacles for those with autism and lead the individual to suffer from increased levels of anxiety, making everyday activities entirely overwhelming.
However, research has proven that regular use of products such as ear defenders can lead to ‘overprotection’ which may cause defects in hearing in later life.
Therefore, using a co-creative, personalized approach, inspired by the theory of Sensory Integration, the project outcome seeks to both intelligently cancel out auditory overload and encourage the user to explore their senses.
Rythma consists of a pair of headphones wirelessly connected to a discreet handheld device. The headphones use active noise cancellation technology to create silence and allow the user to adjust the level of background noise they can hear in order to encourage self-regulation. The headphones also intelligently listen out for alarm or siren sounds and slowly introduce them to the user, gradually decreasing the strength of the noise cancellation per use in order to ensure user safety is maintained, and full reliance on the product through negative habitual behaviour is not encouraged.
The handheld device design takes inspiration from studies of the behavioural characteristics of the target market, through which it was observed that those with autism may ‘stim’ in order to keep their body busy when overloaded- for many, this is often tapping their fingers. Therefore, the product looks to create positive sound feedback through making music from stims. As the user taps the device, they can begin to hear a note played allowing them to explore their touch and sound senses within their own time. Note pitch and length changes with varying pressure, encouraging cause and effect and giving real time feedback from touch.
