(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-06)
Pirrò, David; Wankhammer, Alexander; Schwingenschuh, Petra; Höldrich, Robert; Sontacchi, Alois
In this paper we introduce new methods for real-time acoustical tremor diagnosis. We outline the problems of tremor diagnosis in the clinical context and discuss how sonification can complement and expand the existing tools neurologists have at their disposal. Based on three preliminary sonification experiments upon recorded tremor movement data, we show how temporal as well as spectral characteristics of a tremor can be made audible in realtime. Our first observations indicate that differences among tremor types can be made recognizable via sonification. Therefore, we suggest that the proposed methods could allow for the formulation of more confident diagnoses. At the end of the paper, we will also shortly outline the central topics of future research.