PhysioSonic - Evaluated Movement Sonification as Auditory Feedback in Physiotherapy

Vogt, Katharina and Pirrò, David and Kobenz, Ingo and Höldrich, Robert and Eckel, Gerhard

Appeared in: "Auditory Display", Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Editors: Ystad, Sølvi and Aramaki, Mitsuko and Kronland-Martinet, Richard and Jensen, Kristoffer, Springer Berlin Heidelberg Also appeared in: Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD2009)

We detect human body movement interactively via a tracking system. This data is used to synthesize sound and transform sound files (music or text). A subject triggers and controls sound parameters with his or her movement within a pre-set range of motion. The resulting acoustic feedback enhances new modalities of perception and the awareness of the body movements. It is ideal for application in physiotherapy and other training contexts.

The sounds we use depend on the context and aesthetic preferences of the subject. On the one hand, metaphorical sounds are used to indicate the leaving of the range of motion or to make unintended movements aware. On the other hand, sound material like music or speech is played as intuitive means and motivating feedback to address humans. The sound material is transformed in order to indicate deviations from the target movement.

PhysioSonic has been evaluated with a small study on 12 patients with limited shoulder mobility. The results show a clear benefit for most patients, who also report on PhysioSonic being an enrichment of their therapeutic offer.

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