Android Question App for people with Autism

[MooMooMadCap]

Hi, I am currently doing a dissertation for my computing degree. I was wondering if it was possible to develop an app that would listen for loud noises and/or frequencies to automatically trigger noise cancelation headphones. I.e. if someone with Autism struggled with certain noises, an app would listen out for the noise and trigger noise cancelling headphones if heard to cancel out the noise the person would have discomfort or sensory issues with.

Also, if it is possible how complex would the app be?

 

[MicroDrie]

There is no 1, 2, 3 answer to your question. First, you will have to find an API with which you can control noise canceling headphones in Java. Then you may have to make a Java wrapper for the link between the B4A app and the noise canceling headphones. To monitor the ambient noise, you may suffice with the microphone of a telephone on which you then have to monitor the loud noises and/or frequencies and then control the noise canceling headphones. If all that works out, you have another Google Playstore challenge. What you are actually doing is continuously "eavesdropping" on the environment, which is at odds with privacy legislation. I expect that to get permission from Google you should come up with a good story about this.

Now I know someone who has adapted a set of noise canceling headphones for similar reasons. I understood from him that if it is very loud, this noise cannot be suppressed by the noise canceling headphones. By default, the noise canceling headphones will be set to a "one meets all requirements" approach, which could perhaps be fine-tuned.

There are earplugs for the hearing impaired whose characteristics can be adjusted, but their success with my mother was very limited. It may be useful to talk to a technical salesperson to see if your proposed project can be viable. The advantage of that approach is that you only adjust the settings of an existing solution with your app and you do not have to take responsibility for the fore mentioned privacy aspects, which should already be arranged and you do not need to make an app who have continue sound processing.

Good luck to you dissertation.

 

[Sandman]

I agree with everything @MicroDrie wrote, I'll just add my perspective also.

I was wondering if it was possible to develop an app that would listen for loud noises and/or frequencies

Yes, of course it is possible to do that.

automatically trigger noise cancelation headphones

This isn't very specific, but for the simplest form of "triggering", I would say that you could do one level simpler than what MicroDrie suggested, by simply turn on the headphones. So, no changing settings or anything, just some sort of electrical connection happening so they turn on.

if someone with Autism struggled with certain noises

Now you are adding complexity by differentiating between noises. It's one thing to trigger by amplitude or frequency, it's more complex to trigger by a loud bang but not a loud moo from a cow you're standing next to.

cancel out the noise the person would have discomfort or sensory issues with

It is my amateur understanding that noise cancelling is somewhat simple in theory but somewhat complex in practice. I would recommend using a previously created solution instead of trying to roll your own.

if it is possible how complex would the app be?

Assuming it's based on amplitude and frequency, I think you would be able to find a fair amount of example code in the forum to help you. As for recognizing sounds in near realtime, I'd say it's probably a lot more complex.

Also, you've posted this in the Android forum, but that might not make the most sense for the project. It might make more sense to base it on some sort of small computer, such as Raspberry Zero, with a small battery pack connected, and connections to the always-worn-but-not-always-on headphones.

A final note. As a dissertation this project might be just fine. But if we're talking something that should work in reality, I'd say that it's probably a superior solution to just constantly wear a couple of always-on noise cancelling headphones.

Just my thoughts on the subject, best of luck to you.