SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a disk jockey (DJ) musician's instrument for synchronizing digital media data to a specific location on a device and using this technology for inspiring and educating middle and high school students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). Global expanding markets for DJ gear, a $1.587B dollar growth industry, over the past 3 years grew in sales by 21%. As technology and entertainment converge, DJs represent the new "Superstar" for today's youth. Thus, this research represents an incentivizing gateway for students to learn how math, engineering and science intellectual assets can contribute to musical and artistic innovation. Additionally, middle and/or junior high school students' analysis of the data derived from a performance and entertainment-related technology can be an incentivizing and engaging entrance into STEM academic subjects such as systems design, acoustics, and computer coding. Given the DJ tool's relation to these topics as well as music's inherent link with physics and math, its integration into the curriculum of after-school programming options are expected to foster more interdisciplinary STEM learning. Afterschool turntable academies as thematic contexts for STEM learning function as supportive and assistive educational venues. Collectively, the broader impact of this project should produce economic competitiveness in the music/technology industry for the U.S. overall and, specifically for youth, enhanced engagement in STEM fields. The intellectual merit of this project stems from the necessity for individuals to seamlessly interface with the digital world without losing creativity, artistry or individuality. The technical innovation emerges from determining the coordinate location of an analog audio occurrence, tracking the change in occurrences, and matching it to a digital counterpart to follow the changes created. The sensor data points are utilized to metamorphose the turntable, the musical instrument of the DJ, into a complete analog/digital educational tool. This technology can offer critical insights to STEM learning and educational opportunities to students who may feel that STEM concepts or careers are separate from their personal interests and cultural context. Anticipated outcomes include advancements in the arts, sciences and education by contributing to entertainment's most recent and broadly recognized musical instrument and making it more available in middle and high school STEM educational curricula and after school activities. The proposed research intends to investigate, identify and resolve current liabilities connected with the transient acoustic degradation, deleterious latency introduction, and physical performance loss by systems intended to mimic the analog turntable. The research objective will be to create novel interface models to analyze the elements captured from the DJ musician and translate these into a commercially and educationally viable platform.

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase II project will be achieved through further development of a novel physical music media platform with advanced instrumentation that is designed to promote deeper engagement in education for underrepresented youths. The platform will provide much needed educational support for youths' STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning. The technology's relevance and attractiveness to adolescents have important implications for promoting social resilience of the learners given the salience of STEAM as the "career supporting language of the 21st century". Initially the sensor embedded platter units will be offered for use in after-school programming. By engaging and educating inner city students with their own musical interests, an increased pipeline of diverse STEM learners is expected. The proposed product may also help counteract maladaptive coping patterns (such as truancy) among inner-city youths and inspire them to pursue personally and socially impactful goals. The intellectual merit of this SBIR Phase II project lies in the development of unique sensor embedded turntable designed for delivering entertainment to simultaneously deliver educationally enriching content. Specifically, the project will provide SensorTable platters, software, and STEM curricula. The proposed Turntable Lab will be a school-based program to enhance STEM learning in underserved urban youth communities. To promote effective immersion, the proposed Turntable Lab not only will integrate known musical and visual content but also enable the student to actively manipulate the content. This immersion will keep the students engaged while producing desired educational outcomes. With appropriate curriculum lessons, these advancements will facilitate development of programs designed to instruct students in STEM subjects via the art of DJing and Music. Used in practice, DJs will benefit from learning techniques via the unique instrumentation, while students will benefit from the data collected during live performances. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.