303 Armband is a multi-actuator vibrotactile wearable device, designed to augment the music listening experience for persons using cochlear implants It is composed from an array of 6 actuators placed on the top side of the forearm representing musical notes from a minor pentatonic scale. It is named the 303 Armband, because the inspiration for its functionally came from the Roland TB-303 Bass Line feature set: 16 steps monophonic sequencer, glide and accent functionalities. The aim is to translate one of the most recognizable sounds from the dancefloor to relevant haptic stimuli, preserving some of the original experience.
The actuators are following a note-to-position mapping scheme, with the lowest note closest to the elbow, and it’s higher octave counterpart closest to the wrist. The Armband should be used in combination with speakers by users, as the software accompanying it is both a haptic and a sound synthesizer. The mapping between audio and haptic stimuli has been done with perceptual relevance in focus.
