MUZE: Multisensory Music Sharing for Emotional Wellbeing and Connection
Shay Chlistovsky
Project Summary
MUZE is a multisensory music creation and sharing device designed to reduce loneliness and support emotional regulation in young adults. Developed during a period of heightened isolation due to COVID-19, this capstone project explores how sound, touch, and movement can be leveraged to create emotionally resonant experiences that foster social bonds.
The device enables users to generate expressive musical “packages” through physical interaction, tilting, tapping, or squeezing, each action translating into musical and visual outputs. These packages can be layered, shared, and collaboratively expanded via the MUZE mobile app, offering users a playful yet meaningful way to express and connect without relying on words.
Grounded in research on intercorporeality, music psychology, and community informatics, the project demonstrated that music could serve as a low-barrier communication medium to convey complex emotional states, especially for individuals struggling to articulate their feelings. User testing confirmed that MUZE’s tangible interaction model encourages self-awareness, facilitates interpersonal connection, and supports positive mental health.
Keywords: Multisensory Design, Music Interaction, Emotional Regulation, Social Connection, Tangible Interfaces, Gen Z, Loneliness, Mental Health