MurMurMate

I designed and developed a game console to interact with children who stutter, motivating them to use their voice to centralize the ferrofluid during the game. I created a non-judgmental environment using the OpenAI API, providing a therapeutic companion for children as they practice speech.

Individual Project (2022- Current)

Medical Advisor: Dr. Mark Power (Power Stuttering Newport Beach)

Sketch

Background

Akram is a 9-year-old child who stutters.

His parents are busy with work, leaving Akram mostly on his own at home.

Case Study

His stuttering worsens when he gets nervous, so he speaks little at school to avoid being mocked by other kids.

Interview

Dr. Mark Power (Speech therapist)

Ideation

Design a ferrofluid game console that interacts with children
OpenAI API for therapeutic-like interactions.
Guides children through conversational storylines.
Games that visualize and respond to children's speech.
Ferrofluid visuals tied to speech patterns
Algorithm centralizes ferrofluid in 15 minutes to reflect game progress.

1. Sound Wave Detection

2. Magnetic Field Modulation

Real-Time Ferrofluid Manipulation
User Voice Recognition

5. OpenAI Response Generator

Storyboard

System Architecture

Bottom Screen

Major Components

Top Screen (Ferrofluid Display)

Ragib (Akram’s cousin)

"Yui do not punish or reward them for speaking correctly. You just need to provide them a safe place to talk. Encourage them to speak up"

"We reached out (to the therapist) initially and are considering doing the evaluation but it’s a significant amount of money to continue beyond the evaluation."

Ferrofluid Display: Tested Ferrofluid of Different Densities

Add lighting and audio effects

Implement Open AI api; Integrate voice recognition module

- 5% of children go through a period of stuttering.

- Stuttering usually begins in childhood, between the ages of 2 and 5 years.

- Those who continue to stutter into the school-age years are likely to continue stuttering in some fashion throughout their lives.

Stuttering

Appearance Design- Iteration 1

Feedback:

Prototype

Reflection:

Before I started doing the wiring, I asked 3 kids what they thought of it. One of them said it looked like a toilet tank, and the rest of them agreed with him.

I should have included kids in the external sketching phase, instead of making the decision for them