snehasquasher/sound-travel

capturing global sounds in a unique manner

sound-travel

capturing global sounds in a unique manner

In building Sonus, we drew inspiration from a variety of existing products, both audio and others. Today, when we think of audio we associate it with digital platforms, apps like spotify, apple podcasts and products like wireless headphones, home assistants like Alexa etc. With our project, given the focus on building something physical and tangible we first sought inspiration from the radio and are focus was building a product that comprised of both analog and digital aspects.

The Sonus

Demo

Sonus_Demo_Compressed.mov

Our Process

With a project utilizing both hardware and software components, we had to spend extensive time planning the parts we wanted to use to ensure quality and compatibility. The core of our product is the Raspberry Pi, a microcontroller that runs the main code and orchestrates all the other components of the Sonus. We spent a lot of time deciding between microcontrollers based on our needs for both audio and display capabilities. The raspberry pi ended up being the most powerful and effective of our options and is now the control board for the entire product. Next, is the outward-facing screen, inspired by the analog aesthetic of the radios, we chose an e-ink display powered by the same technology as the Kindle. This is a display that stays on at all times, with minimal colors and backlighting, and a tactile paper-like feel.

As a team designing a sound-first product, another essential component was, of course, the speaker system. While we initially considered building the speakers ourselves, we chose to simplify the process by using pre-built speakers. We opted for a reputable speaker brand and “hacking” their device for our use: As such, we now have two 3.1 Watt JBL speakers with a 5A amplifier board to control volume and provide power. Lastly, we implemented an etch-a-sketch style input system to allow the user to actually interact with the device. This dial is a potentiometer, a common circuit component that allows a user to rotate a knob and interface with an electrical system We had considered other options like a touch screen, but we felt that this was the best interface to create the playful experience we wanted our product to have. These components came together to create a system of inputs and outputs that allow the Sonus to function