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SoundSense™

SoundSense™ headset represent a significant step towards assisting hearing-impaired, improving their quality of life through spatial sensor technology and fostering connection through haptive music.

Struggles of hearing impairment

My father struggles with hearing impairment, which disconnects him from his surroundings and limits his social interactions. His age makes it difficult for him to adapt to modern technology, and the stigma of wearing hearing aids often leads to feelings of isolation. He seeks solutions to enhance his auditory experience and reduce social barriers, aiming to reconnect with his environment and loved ones.

01

Disconnected from the world

02

Little spatial awareness

03

Face social stigmatism from society

“I want to stay connected with family and friends while enjoying music and audiobooks without missing important sounds around me. “

- Tony, 68

Addressing Hearing Impairment Among the Elderly

This project focuses on the challenges faced by elderly individuals in Hong Kong regarding hearing impairment. Despite the high prevalence of hearing loss, many seniors avoid using hearing aids due to their cost and the associated social stigma. This reluctance significantly impacts their well-being, leading to increased feelings of loneliness, isolation, and mental health issues.

50%

aged 60 and above to have hearing difficulties.

50%

more likely to experience lonliness and social isolation.

30%

overall life disatisfaction with hearing issues.

Innovative Design Meets Enhanced Listening Experience.

The ideation phase involved initial sketches that explored the design of the bone conduction headset, focusing on key features like music haptic feedback, AI transcription, translation, and spatial awareness sensors. These visuals aimed to create a sleek and user-friendly product that enhances the listening experience. Feedback from potential users helped refine the design, resulting in a functional and comfortable headset that seamlessly integrates advanced technology into everyday life.

3D Modeling, Prototyping, and UX/UI Design

Utilizing Rhino for 3D modeling and Keyshot for rendering, I transformed initial sketches into detailed prototypes of the bone conduction headset. This phase also included designing the app interface in Figma, integrating IoT technology for intuitive control of features like AI transcription and haptic feedback. Iterative prototyping and testing ensured a user-centric final product.

Comparing old and new models

This goes to show the difference and contrast from the first design (top one) and the newer sleeker design (bottom one)

Back Side of Model

The 3d model itself have gotten a lot more thinner and sleeker to allow more comfort and lighter weight.

Old model paint job

This the first prototype that was made. It consist of spraying a gray acrylic paint over it along with a top coating to protect the paint.

Final prototype paint job

It clearly consists of more variation in colours. The colour choices were stick to minimal colours to not only not stand out but allow anybody to wear them.

Rendering 3D model

When rendering, the go to software is Keyshot. It provides a good option for product designers like me to not only play with the materials easily but adjust the lighting and set the environment through its simple user interface.