Untapped Power of Sonification

Imagine for a moment that you are camping. It is pitch dark. You are lying in a tent. Although it seems eerily quiet at first, you become increasingly aware that it is anything but silent. In the distance, a coyote howls and there is a faint rumble of thunder. Your sense of hearing becomes an analytical engine subconsciously estimating the distance between the coyote and your sleeping bag, and whether the thunder seems to be approaching or receding. Distance and perceived threat level are determined by auditory inference of spatial, atmospheric, and biological data. This is Sonification.

Human auditory perception has evolved to be attuned to time-critical changes, with an acute awareness of relative frequency, spectrum, amplitude, and directional orientation. We adeptly identify and respond to sounds, identifying threat or opportunity, and making decisions about how and when to act. Though it is often passive and subtle, auditory analysis data is a fundamental aspect of human evolution, and we unconsciously use sound to make snap judgments all the time.  

What does auditory perception of wild animals and thunderstorms have to do with mindfulness? Let’s look at our camping example using sonification to elicit focus.

Sonification is the encoding of data into non-speech audio to convey information or perceptualize data. Sonification can significantly mitigate mental fatigue and frustration as we absorb and try to comprehend multiple sensations related to an event. 

Muvik’s sonification-based, Augmented Sound™ helps users achieve mindfulness through specialized audio that is individually adaptive. Unlike traditional music that is disconnected from the physiological state of the user, Muvik’s user-responsive approach deepens mindful awareness by interacting with respiration and other physiological markers. In this way, Muvik’s Augmented Sound™ digital therapy functions as a musical communication system, helping you learn about your body in a convenient, intuitive way.

Interested in learning more? Contact Us.

Using one or more biometric data streams, Muvik AI employs algorithmic models to render your complex internal state in an auditory display. This enables the capability of detecting and representing nuanced changes, with microsecond resolution.

Reference 

• Thomas Hermann, Andy Hunt, John G. Neuhoff (2011), Data Sonification Handbook, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/506b/ce6105697219c181ff99d5b19fdaccad93cb.pdf

Victoria Grace

CEO at Muvik Labs

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