A Metaphor-Based Technical Framework for Musical Sonification in Movement Rehabilitation

Interactive sonification has increasingly shown potential as a means of biofeedback to aid motor learning in movement rehabilitation. However, this application domain faces challenges related to the design of meaningful, task-relevant mappings as well as aesthetic qualities of the sonic feedback. A recent mapping design approach is that of using conceptual metaphors based on image schemata and embodied music cognition. In this work, we developed a framework to facilitate the design and real-time exploration of rehabilitation-tailored mappings rooted in a specific set of music-based conceptual metaphors. The outcome was a prototype system integrating wireless inertial measurement, flexible real-time mapping control and physical modelling-based musical sonification. We focus on the technical details of the system, and demonstrate mappings that we created through it for two exercises. These will be iteratively honed and evaluated in upcoming usercentered studies. We believe our framework can be a useful tool in musical sonification design for motor learning applications.