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Soundspace
the challenge
Children with social disabilities often struggle with initiating and sustaining interactions. Traditional therapeutic approaches may not always successfully engage them in a way that feels natural or enjoyable. The challenge was to design an interactive, emotionally safe space where spontaneous social behavior could be encouraged, monitored, and gently supported — all while gathering meaningful internal emotional data.
the
IDEA
As the central focus of my master thesis, I developed an interactive system called “SoundSpace” that aimed to support social initiation through immersive body movement and sound-based feedback. The idea was to create an engaging space where users could interact using their whole body, and the system would respond with dynamic soundscapes. These soundscapes would shift in real time based on users’ gestures and positions. Two experimental conditions were tested — one with no background rhythm and one with rhythmic elements — to explore how different audio environments might influence emotional and social engagement.
the
Process
Participants (university students in this pilot) took part in a structured session that included interviews, baseline measurements, and two interaction phases. Their movements were tracked via a Kinect system and mapped to musical responses in the environment. Additionally, biometric sensors recorded physiological data like heart rate variability and skin conductance. Behavioral observations and self-reported emotional responses were collected through established tools such as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and IMTAP (a music therapy assessment framework).
Experiment setup
The system was built in a 3.8m x 2.8m physical space equipped with motion tracking using a Kinect sensor, multiple directional speakers, and a projector. Participants could move freely across the space, and their body position, gestures, and movement speed would trigger different audio responses.
Two experimental conditions were tested:
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C1: Sound environment without background rhythm or tempo.
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C2: Sound environment with rhythmic and tempo-based background music.
The experiment was conducted with university students (ages 18–26) as a pilot group. Each session followed a structured timeline, including interviews, baseline measurements, two interaction phases, and self-evaluations before and after each condition.
Condition 1
Condition 2
Methodology
The study followed a structured process involving nine university students (six included in final analysis). Although the target group is children with social disabilities, this pilot tested the system setup and data collection methods.
Each participant experienced two conditions in the SoundScapes environment: one with no background rhythm (C1), and one with rhythmic audio (C2). Sessions included pre- and post-assessments using the Affective Slider and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC), as well as baseline recordings.
During interaction, body movement was tracked using Kinect, and biometric sensors recorded heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA). Behavioral responses were also observed through video analysis. This mixed-methods approach helped evaluate emotional engagement, interaction style, and potential changes in stress or mood across conditions.
Conclusions
This thesis showed that combining music therapy with full-body interaction can create a playful and emotionally supportive experience. While not all results were statistically significant, participants felt more positive after using the system—especially in the rhythmic condition. The environment encouraged movement, curiosity, and engagement without causing stress or anxiety.
Although the pilot was conducted with adults, the system was designed with children in mind. These early findings suggest strong potential for using SoundScapes in therapeutic or educational settings to support social and emotional development in a fun, non-invasive way. Future testing with children will help take the concept further and adapt it to real-world needs.
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