Final Project – Creating Music with Exercise

Here is a rough outline of how my final project video will be broken down.

Intro

Imagine a system that uses exercise to create music.

The goal of this system is to increase the enjoyment of exercise by connecting it to the act of creating music.  Your exercise routine becomes an instrument.  The data your body generates as you are exercising – heart rate, pedometer readings, sugar levels, sound recorded from the environment you are exercising in – is combined with a bit of randomness, musical sense, and generative algorithms to create a unique piece of music with each workout.  Another way to think about it the system is that there is an improv band that plays music inspired by the inspiration of the data.

By creating this connection between the two activities of exercise and creating music, the idea is that your motivation to exercise will increase.  In terms of the Fogg behavior model, we are hoping to move you from the Blue Dot (exercising one time) to the Purple Path (increasing exercise over time).

Reversing the Role of Music in Exercise

Usually when considering exercise and music, we think of runners who have their music players on as they run, playing tracks that keep them motivated (or distracted enough to forget that they are exercising).  We are turning that around.  Instead of the music influencing you, you are influencing the music.

How It Works

Here is a second order feedback loop that describes how the system works.

The process of creating generative music based on data collected during exercise is inspired by systems such as WolframTones.  (Another alternative is algorithmic music composition) Real-time analysis of heart rate data, pedometer data, and other historical health data can be translated into the inputs – genre, tempo, duration, musical scale, instruments, and cellular automata rules – of a generative music system such as WolframTones.  It would also include sound recordings of environment you exercise in which can be sampled and mixed into the music.  If you had a great run through a park, you may hear bird calls as part of your music.

Exercise Logs Redefined

The mix that you create with each workout will be a fun and unique way of keeping an exercise log.  You can hear what types of music you’ve created and how they change over time as you exercise more frequently, in different environments, and at varying intensities.  Perhaps some of the songs you have created will even be good enough to put on your regular music playlist.  Your creations will serve as triggers to remind you that you could be exercising (and creating) more. 

Making It Social

Finally, this system would much more effective if a sharing mechanism was built in.  You can share the “exercise music” you’ve created with your friends.  You can hear their “exercise songs” and ask how he exercised in order to create it.  You can form groups and turn your group’s exercise logs into a music station.  A DJ could recommend songs that were created by users and, more importantly, the types of exercise that inspired their creations.  Each time you encounter this ecosystem, you will be triggered to exercise.  Ultimately, the goal is for awareness of and motivation to exercise to reach new levels.

Ending

Page 1 of 2 | Next page