Autism is a psychological disorder manifested in various ways, including difficulty for establishing social interaction and communication, and complication to prioritize sensitive stimuli, which can lead to a sensory crisis.
In order to enhance social interaction and development and provide a better quality of life for people with this disease, a multidisciplinary team from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Mexico City Campus, created a pair of headphones that reduce ambient noise and give priority to the voices closer to the user, to facilitate communication. The development has a complementary mobile application and music playback via Bluetooth.
When people with autism receive various auditory stimuli at the same time, they cannot prioritize specific ones. Therefore, the device was programmed to allow a dual function: the first one remains active all the time. A pair of microphones captures ambient sound, a processor limits it to the desired frequency range, and equalizers emphasize it and give it a natural effect.
In order to avoid a sensory crisis due to sounds that are difficult to filter out like a baby’s crying, the second function is activated in the processing system. Through proximity sensors, the child can activate a mode to mute completely the sound just by bringing both hands to the device, simulating the natural movement of covering the ears.
Although the wireless device can be operated without the need of the mobile application, the app allows configuring parameters, remotely controlling the device, and receiving notifications of the state of the headphones, such as battery charge and approximate location.
Because hypersensitivity can also occur at a tactile level, to avoid a crisis caused thereby, the design of the device is non-invasive, and is practical when stored. “The headphones have circles on the receiver that have light indicators. If the full sound canceling is activated, the LED system lights up in red; if Bluetooth audio mode is on, glows blue; and if the filter is active, the light turns green,” the researchers said.
Source: Agencia ID
