RHYME is a five year research project (2011-2016) financed by Research Council of Norway through the VERDIKT programme. The goal of the RHYME project is to improve health and life quality for persons with severe disabilities, through use of “co-creative tangibles”. These are ICT based, mobile, networked and multimodal things, which communicate following musical, narrative and communicative principles. They are interactive, social, intelligent things that motivate people to play, communicate and co-create, and thereby reduce passivity and isolation, and strengthen health and well-being.
In the project we will carry out 4 empirical studies and develop knowledge by design of 3 new generations of co-creative tangibles in collaboration with Haug School and Resource Centre, users and families. We startted by testing and observing use of the existing tangibles, ORFI, to gain a common understanding and foundation in the project.
The RHYME project is a unique collaboration between leading institutions in the fields of Interaction Design, Tangible Interaction, Industrial Design, Universal Design and Music and Health; Institute of Design, Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Institute of Informatics, University of Oslo and Centre for Music and Health, Norwegian Academy of Music.
Central research questions:
Can use of cross-media tangibles improve health and well-being in families with disabled children?
How do one design cross-media tangibles to motivate co-creation between diverse users?
Analytical frames:
Music and Health perspective based on an ecological understanding of health.
Research by design, user-centered design and artistic approach on design of new prototypes. Use of communication and narrative models and structures to motivate co-creation.
Goal & sub goals:
Our goal is to:
1. Radically improve the health and well-being of people with severe disabilities, through a new treatment paradigm based upon collaborative, tangible, net based, “smart things”, with music and multimedia capabilities
2. Contribute to the emerging body of knowledge in interface design, specifically within the area of networked social co-creation, based on multimodal interaction through the Internet of Things.
Further we will.:
– Develop knowledge through design of new concepts of Internet of Things. Things that facilitate play, communication and co-creation, between people with and without severe disabilities, on equal terms, in different communicative situations
– Identify the new field and its potential that emerges, by bringing together the fields of Interaction Design, Tangible Interaction, Universal Design and Music & Health.
– Establish an international network for the new and related knowledge fields.
Activities:
User testing:
GENERATION 1. ORFI, (Spring 2011), Establish common foundation
Design:
GENERATION 2 , tangible multimedia, (Fall 2011).
Result:
Wave Carpet
User testing:
GENERATION 2 (Spring 2012)
Design:
GENERATION 3, tangible mobile media, (Fall 2012).
Result:
Wave Orange (microphone, movement sensors).
Reflect (RFID, touch and movement sensors) and student projects:
Cove, Stump Drum, Ebbe, Chilli Net, Whispering Willow, Dynamic Rock.
All based on iPod Touch and RHYME-made extension card iDevice, jDevice and kDevice.
All music programmed in SuperCollider and hardware programmed in Arduino.
User testing:
GENERATION 3 (Spring 2013)
Design:
GENERATION 4, tangible social media, (Summer 2013 – Vinter 2014-15)
Result:
Polly World which consist of
Polly Land (wired with projector, camera, projector, touch, bend and movement sensor),
Polly Planet (mobile with RFID-reader, touch, bend and movement sensor),
Polly Ocean (mobile with microphone RFID-reader, touch, bend and movement sensor)
Polly Fire (mobile with microphone RFID-reader, touch, bend and movement sensor)
43 Scenes (of interactive music tunes and dynamic graphics )
more than 50 Tag Things (that sings choir to the music)
the two APPs
Polly Compose (to create music in a graphic and textbased/twitter interface)
Polly Control (to control and manage the Polly World)
User testing:
GENERATION 4 (Summer, Autumn/Vinter 2014-15)
Planned deliverables:
4 empirical studies, 3 new generations of co-creative tangibles, 12 peer reviewed papers (5 NMH, 4 IFI, 3 AHO), 16 presentations/lectures (4 per project partners), 3 exhibitions.
See publication list here.
Duration: October 2010 (AHO/IFI starts February 2011) – 2015 (extended to Fall 2016).
Funding: VERDIKT programme, Research Council of Norway.
RHYME on Cristin:
Partners:
Institute of Design, Oslo School of Architecture and Design (project owner),
Institute of Informatics, University of Oslo
Centre for Music and Health, Norwegian Academy of Music.