Sile O'Modhrain
Sile O’Modhrain is a blind Irish professor and Braille innovator. [1][2] She makes musical and digital interfaces more tactile, meaning they can be felt with fingers, instead of seen or heard. [2] O'Mondhrain teaches at the University of Michigan in the School of Music, Theater, and Dance.[1]
Early life[change | change source]
O’Modhrain studied for a master’s degree in music technology from the University of York.[1] She worked for BBC Network Radio as a studio engineer.[1] She could edit by feeling recording tape with her fingers.[1] The BBC changed to digital editing and O'Modhrain could not do her job anymore.[1] She then went on a scholarship to Stanford University.[2] She studied at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics.[2] She got her PhD.[2] Then O’Modhrain went to teach at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast. [1] Dr. O’Modhrain then directed the Palpable (feel-able) Machines group at Media Lab Europe. [1]
Career[change | change source]
Dr. O’Modhrain now teaches Performing Arts Technology at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan.[1] Dr. O’Modhrain is unable to access certain things seeing people can.[1] She decided to find a way to help blind people “feel” certain untranslatable things.[1] She has now gone on to design tablets that pop out Braille (like little air bubbles).[1] Dr. O’Modhrain also is inventing a moose (an extension to a computer’s mouse).[1][3] The moose allows people to control their computer through touch.[3] She is working on an iMessaging system allowing you to send touch.[4] Dr. O’Modhrain is also working on developing other tactile interfaces that show physical gestures and feelings.[1][5][6]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Hamilton, Katherynn (2020-05-10). "Interview with Dr. Sile O'Modhrain". Medium. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Winkless, L. (2021). Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chun, K. (1997, November 7). Where Composers Can Get With the Program. THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, p. 2. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current
- ↑ Gallace A, Spence C. The science of interpersonal touch: an overview. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010 Feb;34(2):246-59. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.10.004. Epub 2008 Oct 17. PMID: 18992276.
- ↑ Yuan Niu and Hao Chen. “Gesture Authentication with Touch Input for Mobile Devices”. In: 3rd International Conference on Security and Privacy in Mobile Information and Communication Systems (MobiSec). Aalborg, Denmark, May 17–19, 2011.
- ↑ Paradiso, J. A., Pardue, L. S., Hsiao, K. Y., & Benbasat, A. Y. (2003). Electromagnetic tagging for electronic music interfaces. Journal of New Music Research, 32(4), 395-409.