BabyVibe 2nd Generation Prototype

George Brown College’s Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies have partnered with Ryerson University’s SMART Lab to produce a second generation prototype of the BabyVibe garment designed in an earlier phase of the project. The SMART Lab is an interdisciplinary research team concerned with questions at the intersection of mind, music and technology. Their research is rooted in the rapidly emerging field of music cognition but it also branches out to connect with complementary work in the fields of hearing science, human factors, and assistive/rehabilitative technology. The BabyVibe is a jumper style garment designed to transduce auditory input into temporally synchronized vibrotactile output. Because the jumper is stretchable and form fitting, the exciters are pressed close to the back allowing for consistent sensory transduction of vibration before and after the infant develops mobility. The pattern of vibrotactile stimulation running along the infant’s back will vary with the pitch and intensity of the caregiver’s voice. The revised prototype will address challenges identified from the evaluation of the 1st generation prototype. Students will redesign electronics circuitry and fabricate a working prototype of the vest. The student team will work with Ryerson researchers to make recommendations for modification to vest design.