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amplitude values are produced for stirring of the water when the bath is occupied
and for when it is not occupied. The sound set is configured so that an occupied bath
produces louder sounds for small amplitude values compared to an unoccupied bath.
Entering or exiting the bathtub changes the value of a two-state variable. Whenever
the state changes, a sound like the crunching of seashells plays. This crunching
seashell sound is the same for entering and exiting the bathtub; however, the sound
plays longer when the bathtub is being exited. In this way, it is possible to distinguish
between entering and exiting of the bathtub by the length of the crunching seashell
sound. We also added sound components that only play while a person is bathing.
They include a piano sound and a sound synthesized based on an image of the moon.
The synthesized sound repeats an underlying bass sequence phrase, to which various
alto phrases are randomly selected and added. The tempo and expressive probability
of an alto phrase can change based on an amplitude trigger. Like the synthesized
sound, various piano phrases are available. Piano phrase selection and occurrence
timing are controlled by an amplitude trigger. However, if the amplitude trigger de-
tects a new state while one phrase is playing, a new phrase is not played immediately.
This control prevents the occurrence of a cacophony.
6.2.4.2
Sound Set 2
Sound Set 2 is a background music component that expresses the bright and relaxed
ambiance of a tropical seashore at noon. With an underlying sound of guitar strings,
various synthesized sounds and effects come into play when the pressure changes as
the bathwater is stirred. The tempo of the guitar emulates the heartbeat of the bather.
Thus, it is possible to be aware of one's own beating heart. The heartbeat emulator
harmonizes completely with the instantaneous heartbeat, so it is possible for the
music tempo to change sharply. To control sharp changes, the heartbeat is averaged
over five values. During a quiet bathing state, a clear, refreshing synthesized sound
plays in harmony with the amplitude of the breathing curve. One objective of this
design is to evoke a feeling of relaxation as the sound harmonizes with the deep
breathing of the bather.
6.2.5
Bath Remote Control
Figure 6.6 a shows an image of a bath remote control operated from a computer that
has a touch panel display. Figure 6.6 b shows the remote control's display window. In
addition to conventional displays for hot water supply and bath temperature settings,
this remote control has various other settings in the display window, such as sound
set selection, display of the water level with surface wave information including
breathing information, display of ECG data and heartbeat information, and sound
volume control for each sound set.
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