Introduction
Our group developed a device for May Institute Organization to enhance the sensory room environment that was being used to calm down, motivate and relax psychiatric patients. The final conclusion upon our research gives the overview on the device and purpose our project , the vibro-acoustic mat.
The May Institute is non-profit organization which was founded in 1955 with an aim of helping people with mental disorders to meet their needs and rights. These mental disorder are a psychiatric condition which includes developmental disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism, and brain injury. Our group sensory item will be valuable in helping the organization to enhance services and needs for people with social interaction impairment, inattentiveness, communication impairment, restricted behaviors and seizures.
The group members visited facility and talked to Patricia Peterson, occupational therapist consultant. Patricia gave the group a brief tour on the facility and the actually room, sensory room, that the device the group creates will be placed. The sensory room is 20 by 20 and has multiple chairs for the patients to sit in with a therapist consultant in the room keeping an overview on the patients. The therapist consultants in the room plays an acoustic instruments for the patients from time to time which is what Patricia told us while we were their, the instrument usually being a guitar. Overall the sensory room doesn’t have plenty of space to use due to the amount of space that is occupied by the patients and the chairs. The device we create will be used in their sensory room, a room set aside to calm down, relax and motivate clients
The pictures show the sensory rooms in May Institute.
Design Overview
Inputs
The design is going to include two inputs option. The acoustic input will connect the guitar or ukulele which will convert the acoustic vibration into electrical energy. The Auxiliary input will take the phone or computer music signal and convert to vibration signal depends on the frequency.
Microcontroller-Arduino
The Arduino will be programed in order to give an output signal in a specified condition. The motors vibration will verify according to the Auxiliary input or acoustic input.
Audio Amplifier Circuit
The first part of the basic audio amplifier called the summing network, it works by summing two stereo input signal (if any) into one amplifier and pass it to the speaker.
The second part of the basic audio amplifier, where volume control is implemented with a potentiometer. By changing the input resistance at the positive terminal of the Op-Amp, the output volume of the speaker can be controlled.
Testing vibration result on bread board.
The PCB Board with Audio Amplifier and connect to Arduino.
