R. van Egmond
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5 records found
1
Adaptive Venting in Hearing Aids
Design of a Manual-Driven RIC Venting Mechanism
Today’s hearing aids are more advanced than ever before. In addition to their primary function of selectively amplifying specific frequencies to improve speech intelligibility, modern devices increasingly suppress unwanted background noise and enable phone calls and music streaming via Bluetooth connectivity with smartphones.
Despite these advancements, hearing aids still require a trade-off between wearing comfort and acoustic performance. Soft, open-fit domes reduce the occlusion effect and improve wearing comfort and perceived sound naturalness. However, they allow low-frequency sound leakage, which negatively affects bass response during music streaming and reduces speech intelligibility in noisy environments. In contrast, closed systems enhance low-frequency amplification and noise control, but often cause discomfort due to occlusion.
The only commercialised product currently addressing this challenge is the Phonak ActiveVent, which automatically switches between open and closed vent states based on environmental sound analysis. Despite its innovative approach, the electronic miniature components required for the automated mechanism reduce cost-effectiveness and durability, while limiting user control. This graduation project addresses these limitations through the development of a more robust, user-friendly, manual open/closed venting mechanism for Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
Through desk research, user interviews, iterative prototyping and testing, an innovative manual alternative was developed. Fugai, the final proposed concept, is a RIC hearing aid featuring a manual adaptive venting mechanism that allows users to actively control their listening experience across different acoustic environments. By integrating a manual mechanism rather than an automated one, the design enhances robustness and durability while improving cost efficiency. Providing direct user control further increases perceived reliability and usability.
As a result, Fugai presents an innovative RIC solution that balances user autonomy, ease of use, robustness and cost-effectiveness, without compromising acoustic performance. ...
Despite these advancements, hearing aids still require a trade-off between wearing comfort and acoustic performance. Soft, open-fit domes reduce the occlusion effect and improve wearing comfort and perceived sound naturalness. However, they allow low-frequency sound leakage, which negatively affects bass response during music streaming and reduces speech intelligibility in noisy environments. In contrast, closed systems enhance low-frequency amplification and noise control, but often cause discomfort due to occlusion.
The only commercialised product currently addressing this challenge is the Phonak ActiveVent, which automatically switches between open and closed vent states based on environmental sound analysis. Despite its innovative approach, the electronic miniature components required for the automated mechanism reduce cost-effectiveness and durability, while limiting user control. This graduation project addresses these limitations through the development of a more robust, user-friendly, manual open/closed venting mechanism for Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
Through desk research, user interviews, iterative prototyping and testing, an innovative manual alternative was developed. Fugai, the final proposed concept, is a RIC hearing aid featuring a manual adaptive venting mechanism that allows users to actively control their listening experience across different acoustic environments. By integrating a manual mechanism rather than an automated one, the design enhances robustness and durability while improving cost efficiency. Providing direct user control further increases perceived reliability and usability.
As a result, Fugai presents an innovative RIC solution that balances user autonomy, ease of use, robustness and cost-effectiveness, without compromising acoustic performance. ...
Today’s hearing aids are more advanced than ever before. In addition to their primary function of selectively amplifying specific frequencies to improve speech intelligibility, modern devices increasingly suppress unwanted background noise and enable phone calls and music streaming via Bluetooth connectivity with smartphones.
Despite these advancements, hearing aids still require a trade-off between wearing comfort and acoustic performance. Soft, open-fit domes reduce the occlusion effect and improve wearing comfort and perceived sound naturalness. However, they allow low-frequency sound leakage, which negatively affects bass response during music streaming and reduces speech intelligibility in noisy environments. In contrast, closed systems enhance low-frequency amplification and noise control, but often cause discomfort due to occlusion.
The only commercialised product currently addressing this challenge is the Phonak ActiveVent, which automatically switches between open and closed vent states based on environmental sound analysis. Despite its innovative approach, the electronic miniature components required for the automated mechanism reduce cost-effectiveness and durability, while limiting user control. This graduation project addresses these limitations through the development of a more robust, user-friendly, manual open/closed venting mechanism for Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
Through desk research, user interviews, iterative prototyping and testing, an innovative manual alternative was developed. Fugai, the final proposed concept, is a RIC hearing aid featuring a manual adaptive venting mechanism that allows users to actively control their listening experience across different acoustic environments. By integrating a manual mechanism rather than an automated one, the design enhances robustness and durability while improving cost efficiency. Providing direct user control further increases perceived reliability and usability.
As a result, Fugai presents an innovative RIC solution that balances user autonomy, ease of use, robustness and cost-effectiveness, without compromising acoustic performance.
Despite these advancements, hearing aids still require a trade-off between wearing comfort and acoustic performance. Soft, open-fit domes reduce the occlusion effect and improve wearing comfort and perceived sound naturalness. However, they allow low-frequency sound leakage, which negatively affects bass response during music streaming and reduces speech intelligibility in noisy environments. In contrast, closed systems enhance low-frequency amplification and noise control, but often cause discomfort due to occlusion.
The only commercialised product currently addressing this challenge is the Phonak ActiveVent, which automatically switches between open and closed vent states based on environmental sound analysis. Despite its innovative approach, the electronic miniature components required for the automated mechanism reduce cost-effectiveness and durability, while limiting user control. This graduation project addresses these limitations through the development of a more robust, user-friendly, manual open/closed venting mechanism for Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
Through desk research, user interviews, iterative prototyping and testing, an innovative manual alternative was developed. Fugai, the final proposed concept, is a RIC hearing aid featuring a manual adaptive venting mechanism that allows users to actively control their listening experience across different acoustic environments. By integrating a manual mechanism rather than an automated one, the design enhances robustness and durability while improving cost efficiency. Providing direct user control further increases perceived reliability and usability.
As a result, Fugai presents an innovative RIC solution that balances user autonomy, ease of use, robustness and cost-effectiveness, without compromising acoustic performance.
Driver-centered Human-machine interface design
Design for a better takeover experience in level 4 automated driving
Technological advances have led to the development of autonomous driving. The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) defined five automation levels in order to differentiate the responsibilities between the driver and an automated driving system, ranging from “No Automation” (L0), to “Conditional Automation” (L3) and “Full Automation” (L5). The transition to full automation, however, brings new risks, such as mode confusion, overreliance, reduced situational awareness and misuse. Therefore, led by SWOV and together with many other parties, a 4-year project MEDIATOR is launched. The goal is to create a self-learning mediating system which guarantees safe, real-time transition of control between human driver and automated system depending on who is better fit for drive (Mediator, 2019).When the automation system reaches its operational limit in a given traffic situation, the automation issues a so-called take-over request (TOR), asking the driver to take back control of the vehicle (Gasser & Westhoff, 2012; Hoeger et al., 2011). The Human Machine Interface (HMI) plays a critical role on passing signal from the automated vehicle to driver when TOR happens. Therefore, it is of vital importance in avoiding misunderstandings, misuse, over-reliance, reduced situational awareness and mode confusion. However, nowadays, there are various different HMI design for autonomous vehicles in the market. Develop an unified HMI design principle to regulate the autonomous vehicle industry is also one of the tasks of MEDIATOR project.The graduation project is focusing on the HMI research and design when takeover happens ( see Figure 1). The key research questions of the graduation project are “when is it needed to communicate what kind of information and how to communicate the information with the driver during takeover?” So exploring the scenarios of TOR and then define the similarities and differences are one of the tasks. Simultaneously, from a research of Bazilinskyy and colleagues (2018), the means to communicate take-over requests are divided into three main categories that may be used in different level of urgency for take-over transition: visua l(written messages or signals shown on cluster, head unit or other in-vehicle displays), auditory (sonorous signals or voice messages), and vibrotactile (vibration of the steering wheel or seat). So it will be one of the challenges to explore which modalities to communicate TOR are the most effective means. In addition, driver’s situational awareness (SA can be defined simply as “knowing what is going on around us”) predicts the takeover performance. Drivers are better able to respond to hazards when they’re aware of the driving context. Therefore, enhancing the SA is also another challenge for the design of the takeover journey.In conclusion, the objective of the project is to design the HMI of autonomous vehicles in order to enhance situation awareness for a better take over transition/journey.
...
Technological advances have led to the development of autonomous driving. The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) defined five automation levels in order to differentiate the responsibilities between the driver and an automated driving system, ranging from “No Automation” (L0), to “Conditional Automation” (L3) and “Full Automation” (L5). The transition to full automation, however, brings new risks, such as mode confusion, overreliance, reduced situational awareness and misuse. Therefore, led by SWOV and together with many other parties, a 4-year project MEDIATOR is launched. The goal is to create a self-learning mediating system which guarantees safe, real-time transition of control between human driver and automated system depending on who is better fit for drive (Mediator, 2019).When the automation system reaches its operational limit in a given traffic situation, the automation issues a so-called take-over request (TOR), asking the driver to take back control of the vehicle (Gasser & Westhoff, 2012; Hoeger et al., 2011). The Human Machine Interface (HMI) plays a critical role on passing signal from the automated vehicle to driver when TOR happens. Therefore, it is of vital importance in avoiding misunderstandings, misuse, over-reliance, reduced situational awareness and mode confusion. However, nowadays, there are various different HMI design for autonomous vehicles in the market. Develop an unified HMI design principle to regulate the autonomous vehicle industry is also one of the tasks of MEDIATOR project.The graduation project is focusing on the HMI research and design when takeover happens ( see Figure 1). The key research questions of the graduation project are “when is it needed to communicate what kind of information and how to communicate the information with the driver during takeover?” So exploring the scenarios of TOR and then define the similarities and differences are one of the tasks. Simultaneously, from a research of Bazilinskyy and colleagues (2018), the means to communicate take-over requests are divided into three main categories that may be used in different level of urgency for take-over transition: visua l(written messages or signals shown on cluster, head unit or other in-vehicle displays), auditory (sonorous signals or voice messages), and vibrotactile (vibration of the steering wheel or seat). So it will be one of the challenges to explore which modalities to communicate TOR are the most effective means. In addition, driver’s situational awareness (SA can be defined simply as “knowing what is going on around us”) predicts the takeover performance. Drivers are better able to respond to hazards when they’re aware of the driving context. Therefore, enhancing the SA is also another challenge for the design of the takeover journey.In conclusion, the objective of the project is to design the HMI of autonomous vehicles in order to enhance situation awareness for a better take over transition/journey.
Exploring interactive media for indoor large-capacity tourist attraction
Sound of the Netherlands
This graduation project focuses on leveraging interactive media and designs for a future large capacity indoor attraction, namely “sound of the Netherlands”. Since the project starts from scratch, project assumption is needed in the beginning to facilitate the follow-on study and design. Desk research was used to define the scope and formulate project assumptions, which are the stepping-stone for the following phases.
Moreover, the research about the interactive media and representative sounds of the Netherlands were conducted to spot the relevant media and content that can be used in the design.
In the second step, user research was conducted to define and better understand the target group. The result revealed their primary motivation, expectation, and concerns toward large capacity cultural tourist Attraction. Building upon this, the design goal was formulated:
Design an interactive Creative Cultural Attraction (400-450 p/h) with a novel experience and intuitive interaction around the topic “Sound of the Netherlands, which allows people to feel free to enjoy with others and know about the lifestyle of the Netherlands.
To address the design goal, the designer viewed current large-capacity tourist attraction. Moreover, the literature research on how to adopt intuitive interaction design for a variety of users was conducted to find possible design solutions.
The fourth stage was the design phase. The design started with building a holistic story and context for the Attraction. JORA VISION suggests to kick off the attraction design from developing the storyline. Two brainstorming sessions were conducted to develop the storyline. There is no precise number about the size and scale of the Attraction given in the design brief. So the designer developed a space model based on the design requirements and visitors' needs. After the space model was built, the detailed interaction design is developed along with the design guideline.
Finally, an evaluation test was conducted to validate whether the design concepts fulfill the design goal and reach interaction quality. The designer used the Walkthrough 3D video and VR model in the cardboard for participants to understand the context and experience the space. The interaction storyboard (animation with sound) and interactive prototypes were used to test interaction. The designer combined 7-point Likert Scale and interviews to gain the feedback and insights of participants. The results of the test were used as a foundation for future recommendations for the company.
Overall, it's an explorative project. The designer did extensive explorations in both problem space and solution space. During the process, the problem and solution also co-envolved. ...
Moreover, the research about the interactive media and representative sounds of the Netherlands were conducted to spot the relevant media and content that can be used in the design.
In the second step, user research was conducted to define and better understand the target group. The result revealed their primary motivation, expectation, and concerns toward large capacity cultural tourist Attraction. Building upon this, the design goal was formulated:
Design an interactive Creative Cultural Attraction (400-450 p/h) with a novel experience and intuitive interaction around the topic “Sound of the Netherlands, which allows people to feel free to enjoy with others and know about the lifestyle of the Netherlands.
To address the design goal, the designer viewed current large-capacity tourist attraction. Moreover, the literature research on how to adopt intuitive interaction design for a variety of users was conducted to find possible design solutions.
The fourth stage was the design phase. The design started with building a holistic story and context for the Attraction. JORA VISION suggests to kick off the attraction design from developing the storyline. Two brainstorming sessions were conducted to develop the storyline. There is no precise number about the size and scale of the Attraction given in the design brief. So the designer developed a space model based on the design requirements and visitors' needs. After the space model was built, the detailed interaction design is developed along with the design guideline.
Finally, an evaluation test was conducted to validate whether the design concepts fulfill the design goal and reach interaction quality. The designer used the Walkthrough 3D video and VR model in the cardboard for participants to understand the context and experience the space. The interaction storyboard (animation with sound) and interactive prototypes were used to test interaction. The designer combined 7-point Likert Scale and interviews to gain the feedback and insights of participants. The results of the test were used as a foundation for future recommendations for the company.
Overall, it's an explorative project. The designer did extensive explorations in both problem space and solution space. During the process, the problem and solution also co-envolved. ...
This graduation project focuses on leveraging interactive media and designs for a future large capacity indoor attraction, namely “sound of the Netherlands”. Since the project starts from scratch, project assumption is needed in the beginning to facilitate the follow-on study and design. Desk research was used to define the scope and formulate project assumptions, which are the stepping-stone for the following phases.
Moreover, the research about the interactive media and representative sounds of the Netherlands were conducted to spot the relevant media and content that can be used in the design.
In the second step, user research was conducted to define and better understand the target group. The result revealed their primary motivation, expectation, and concerns toward large capacity cultural tourist Attraction. Building upon this, the design goal was formulated:
Design an interactive Creative Cultural Attraction (400-450 p/h) with a novel experience and intuitive interaction around the topic “Sound of the Netherlands, which allows people to feel free to enjoy with others and know about the lifestyle of the Netherlands.
To address the design goal, the designer viewed current large-capacity tourist attraction. Moreover, the literature research on how to adopt intuitive interaction design for a variety of users was conducted to find possible design solutions.
The fourth stage was the design phase. The design started with building a holistic story and context for the Attraction. JORA VISION suggests to kick off the attraction design from developing the storyline. Two brainstorming sessions were conducted to develop the storyline. There is no precise number about the size and scale of the Attraction given in the design brief. So the designer developed a space model based on the design requirements and visitors' needs. After the space model was built, the detailed interaction design is developed along with the design guideline.
Finally, an evaluation test was conducted to validate whether the design concepts fulfill the design goal and reach interaction quality. The designer used the Walkthrough 3D video and VR model in the cardboard for participants to understand the context and experience the space. The interaction storyboard (animation with sound) and interactive prototypes were used to test interaction. The designer combined 7-point Likert Scale and interviews to gain the feedback and insights of participants. The results of the test were used as a foundation for future recommendations for the company.
Overall, it's an explorative project. The designer did extensive explorations in both problem space and solution space. During the process, the problem and solution also co-envolved.
Moreover, the research about the interactive media and representative sounds of the Netherlands were conducted to spot the relevant media and content that can be used in the design.
In the second step, user research was conducted to define and better understand the target group. The result revealed their primary motivation, expectation, and concerns toward large capacity cultural tourist Attraction. Building upon this, the design goal was formulated:
Design an interactive Creative Cultural Attraction (400-450 p/h) with a novel experience and intuitive interaction around the topic “Sound of the Netherlands, which allows people to feel free to enjoy with others and know about the lifestyle of the Netherlands.
To address the design goal, the designer viewed current large-capacity tourist attraction. Moreover, the literature research on how to adopt intuitive interaction design for a variety of users was conducted to find possible design solutions.
The fourth stage was the design phase. The design started with building a holistic story and context for the Attraction. JORA VISION suggests to kick off the attraction design from developing the storyline. Two brainstorming sessions were conducted to develop the storyline. There is no precise number about the size and scale of the Attraction given in the design brief. So the designer developed a space model based on the design requirements and visitors' needs. After the space model was built, the detailed interaction design is developed along with the design guideline.
Finally, an evaluation test was conducted to validate whether the design concepts fulfill the design goal and reach interaction quality. The designer used the Walkthrough 3D video and VR model in the cardboard for participants to understand the context and experience the space. The interaction storyboard (animation with sound) and interactive prototypes were used to test interaction. The designer combined 7-point Likert Scale and interviews to gain the feedback and insights of participants. The results of the test were used as a foundation for future recommendations for the company.
Overall, it's an explorative project. The designer did extensive explorations in both problem space and solution space. During the process, the problem and solution also co-envolved.
Light-Sound-Material
Design of an interactive museum exhibit
This report describes the project of designing an interactive exhibit for children in the context of Science Centre Delft to actively explore, and thereby learn about, the interactions of light and sound beams with materials. It involves the application of a directional speaker in a totally new and dynamic way to trigger sound and light effects. The project is an example of a design project which is not about problem solving. It involves children as target group, which do not have urgent problems with current exhibits about light and sound interactions and do not have a specific need to learn about it. A solution space can thus not be defined by the needs of the target group. Therefore the context, the target group and the subjects of sound and light are thoroughly researched first. Then three iterations of experimentation, ideation, prototyping and evaluation are performed to gain a design vision. A final concept is developed which is evaluated with children in the context by means of a working prototype. The final concept, Sonolum, demonstrates a totally new dynamic application of a directional speaker to actively explore multi-sensory interactions with materials. With the Sonolum children can aim directional sound at modules to trigger sound and light effects. The children are invited to configure and explore patterns of modules with different materials on a magnetic wall. By doing so they can explore and learn more about different sound-light-material interactions. For example a module with a mirror reflects the sound and light in a specular and directed way, while a module with black foam will absorb the sound and light. The final prototype of Sonolum is evaluated upon enjoyment, stimulation of exploratory behaviour and bringing across the subjects of sound and light interactions with materials. The study was performed with 48 children over 2 days in the context of ‘Gamelab’ inside Science Centre Delft. The results show that children enjoy the exhibit, that the exhibit shows promise in supporting exploratory behaviour, but unfortunately does not yet bring across sound and light interactions with materials, although the children do indicate that the subject of the exhibit is light, sound and music. This may be due to some limitations of the prototype. Future development and investigation is needed to improve the perceivability of the sound-material effects in the exhibit.
...
This report describes the project of designing an interactive exhibit for children in the context of Science Centre Delft to actively explore, and thereby learn about, the interactions of light and sound beams with materials. It involves the application of a directional speaker in a totally new and dynamic way to trigger sound and light effects. The project is an example of a design project which is not about problem solving. It involves children as target group, which do not have urgent problems with current exhibits about light and sound interactions and do not have a specific need to learn about it. A solution space can thus not be defined by the needs of the target group. Therefore the context, the target group and the subjects of sound and light are thoroughly researched first. Then three iterations of experimentation, ideation, prototyping and evaluation are performed to gain a design vision. A final concept is developed which is evaluated with children in the context by means of a working prototype. The final concept, Sonolum, demonstrates a totally new dynamic application of a directional speaker to actively explore multi-sensory interactions with materials. With the Sonolum children can aim directional sound at modules to trigger sound and light effects. The children are invited to configure and explore patterns of modules with different materials on a magnetic wall. By doing so they can explore and learn more about different sound-light-material interactions. For example a module with a mirror reflects the sound and light in a specular and directed way, while a module with black foam will absorb the sound and light. The final prototype of Sonolum is evaluated upon enjoyment, stimulation of exploratory behaviour and bringing across the subjects of sound and light interactions with materials. The study was performed with 48 children over 2 days in the context of ‘Gamelab’ inside Science Centre Delft. The results show that children enjoy the exhibit, that the exhibit shows promise in supporting exploratory behaviour, but unfortunately does not yet bring across sound and light interactions with materials, although the children do indicate that the subject of the exhibit is light, sound and music. This may be due to some limitations of the prototype. Future development and investigation is needed to improve the perceivability of the sound-material effects in the exhibit.