Fundació Aspace Catalunya, together with the Instrumentation, Sensors and Interfaces Group of the Innovation and Technology Center of the UPC, has carried out a study to evaluate, methodologically, emotional states.
Below we share the article, as well as the link to the website, that the UPC Innovation and Technology Center has published about this study:
El Instrumentation, Sensors and Interfaces Group (ISI) has carried out, along with the Aspace Catalonia Foundation, a study to assess emotional states using physiological signals and its application in music therapy for people with disabilities. The designed device has been tested on people with cerebral palsy and has obtained very favorable results.
People with disabilities have more difficulty expressing and interacting on a non-verbal level due to the physical, sensory or communication difficulties they normally have. Currently, people with very little movement control are very reluctant to actively participate in music therapy activities.
The study carried out by the ISI research group has developed a device that acts as an adapted musical instrument controlled by physiological signals. The instrument uses the electrocardiography (ECG) signal, the electrical activity of the skin (EDA), the breathing and the movement of the user to generate music from the most characteristic features of each physiological signal through sonification. In addition to generating the music, the created device makes it possible to continuously estimate the emotional state of the user.
The adapted instrument has been tested on people with cerebral palsy and has shown a high degree of adaptability. In four months, an increase has been achieved in the participation in the music therapy sessions of the most affected users. The results have shown that these people have achieved six of the so-called "aids to analysis", which are usually used to evaluate these practices.
The device has generated a lot of interest among educators because it surpasses state-of-the-art techniques and allows the integration of the most affected people, eliminating the barrier of uncontrolled movements discussed earlier.
This study has been published in the journal IEEE Access, and was recognized with the Romper Barreras Award for the best TFG in its 8th edition. It was also shown at the concert organized by CTO Poblenou of the Aspace Catalunya Foundation for its 20th anniversary.
