Spark Talk: Saving Lives with Better Sound by Dr. Michael Schutz (Feb 11, 2022)
Feb 11, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM
Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/02/2022
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Description: Shockingly, an FDA assessment found that medical device sound issues are linked to hundreds of fatalities each year. Despite the fact that the technology in these life-saving gadgets has grown at an incredible rate, they still employ noises that haven’t progressed beyond those used in the earliest electronic devices.?My team uses readily available technology to create better sounds that are modeled by those used to successfully communicate in music. We’ve proven in a series of trials that these methods can improve the efficacy of sounds employed in medical gadgets that fill hospitals all around the world.
Bio: Michael Schutz is an Associate Professor of Music Cognition/Percussion in the School of the Arts (Music).?Drawing on his interdisciplinary training in music, psychology, and computer science, he directs the MAPLE Lab which researches Music, Acoustics, Perception, and LEarning (www.maplelab.net). His research has been funded by SSHRC, NSERC, CFI, and the National Institutes of Health (US). Complementing his research on music, he also maintains an active career as a musician, conducts the McMaster Percussion Ensemble and serves on faculty at the Honors Music Institute in Pennsylvania.