Nomadic Radio: Wearable Audio Messaging and Awareness

Nomadic Radio is being developed as a unified messaging system that utilizes spatialized audio, speech synthesis and recognition, on a wearable audio platform. A client-server based messaging infrastructure is already in place, and we are adding support for communication and location awareness. Messages such as hourly news broadcasts, voice mail, and email are automatically downloaded to the device throughout the day. The current system operates primarily as a wearable audio-only interface, although a visual interface is used for development purposes. A combination of speech and button inputs are used to control the interface. Textual messages such as email, calendar reminders, weather forecasts, and stock reports are delivered via synthesized speech. Users can select a category such as news or email, browse messages sequentially, and save or delete them on the server.

Users can select a category such as news or email and browse messages in it sequentially as well as save and delete them from the server. In one usage scenario, the listener begins hearing an ABC news summary at a certain time of day, and moments later a voice message arrives reminding her of a meeting later that day while the news broadcast fades down. As the system gains location awareness (discussed in the next section), we envision a scenario where the listener's location context enables the system to provide relevant messages as needed. For example as the user moves close to a particular room, she may hear a voice message left by a colleague or more importantly she is reminded of a meeting if she is not in a desired location at a specific time. In Nomadic Radio, we utilize the metaphor of radio to present personalized information as active broadcasts delivered within the user's listening environment. Several such broadcasts can be presented simultaneously as spatialized audio streams, to enable the listener to better segregate and browse multiple information sources.

Design of the Wearable Audio Platform

Audio output on wearables requires use of speakers worn as headphones or appropriately placed on the listener's body. Headphones are not entirely suitable in urban environments where users need to hear other sound sources such as traffic or in offices where their use is considered anti-social as people communicate frequently. In these situations speakers worn on the body could instead provide directional sound to the user (without covering the ear), yet they must be designed to be easily worn and least audible to others.

The Soundbeam Neckset (shown in Figure 1), worn around the neck, has been modified for audio I/O from the wearable. The Neckset is a patented research prototype originally developed by Andre Van Schyndel at Nortel for use in hands-free telephony. It consists of two directional speakers, mounted on the user's shoulders, and a directional microphone placed on the chest. A button on the Neckset will activate speech recognition or deactivate it in noisy environments. Spatialized audio is rendered in real-time and delivered to the Neckset.

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In October 1997, we redesigned the Neckset, based on a collaboration with Zoey Zebedee, a fashion designer from New York. The speaker housings were molded on a 3D printer for better directional audio. The audio components were integrated into a new wearable and modular configuration called the Radio Vest, designed for a more rugged and mobile usage. We must evaluate the ergonomics and social affordances of such designs as they are worn more readily around the Media Lab, and consider appropriate refinements.

Next: Architecture of Nomadic Radio

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