Shez Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Here's an interesting one. For a show in a couple of weeks time, one of the dancers has asked if it's possible that he could dance to the sound of his own heartbeat. I suspect with limited time and no resources / budget, it won't happen but I'm interested in whether anyone has managed to do anything like this. I've had a couple of ideas: Cheat completely - use a sampler / DAW with smoothly variable tempo playing a looped heartbeat sampleSomething resembling ECG electrodes that could transmit a pulse via a radiomic beltpack which could trigger a sample via something like DrumagogThere must be some sort of fitness monitoring system that could monitor heart rate which could be wirelessly monitored?I can't see any sort of actual microphone being able to get any useful kind of acoustic signal. As I say, it's not likely to happen for practical reasons but it seems like an interesting challenge nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddproduction Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Sounds sketchy, as soon as they start dancing their heart rate will be jumping about everywhere, there's no way they could keep in time with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 There seem to be lots of mobile phone apps as well as purpose designed hardware. One of these links might help: http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~gari/papers/IBME_CEPH_mStethoscope.pdf http://www.technologyreview.com/news/413155/remote-monitoring-of-the-heart/ http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215406/iPad_iPhone_get_remote_heart_monitoring_app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Sounds sketchy, as soon as they start dancing their heart rate will be jumping about everywhere, there's no way they could keep in time with that!You've never seen any contemporary dance then? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 There are wareable EKG's but I think they are data only, I would imagine it to be a bit of a big hack to fiddle with EKG and or a training heart monitor, possible but not quick. Is there a hackspace near ? a welth of knowledge maybe able to work something up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 stay in the analogue realm: stethescope taped to dancer's chest, mke2 or similar small mic head stuffed in the earpeace.or cheat by sampling DSOTM pink floyd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I'd suggest looking at a pulse oximeter, and seeing if one of those can give a pulse output. Some hacking needed, one would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I had to play with something similar many years ago. I actually got a usable recording of a heartbeat using a midwife's ear trumpet and a lav mic at the end of the trumpet tube. (Yeah, I know this wouldn't work on a dancer jumping around, but, hear me out...) However, once I got a great recording of a human heartbeat, the reaction from all concerned was along the lines of "but that doesn't sound like a real heart beat--it's all squelchy". That's the issue you'll have--an actual heart through any form of stethoscope is more about the sounds of the liquids moving through the chambers than the "thumpita...thumpita" sound we all think of when somebody mentions a heart. Believe me, I now know this all too well having spent more weeks than I like in various cardiac wards since last September! If it's any use to you, our eventual solution was to fake it entirely. I stuck an SDC cardioid mic (wrapped in some dense foam) inside the core of a loo roll. Then the percussionist used a mallet from a xylophone to beat out the thump THUMP, thump THUMP rhythm at whatever speed was required (randomly variable speed was part of the spec I'd been given). The soft loo roll and proximity effect gave very much the sound that was wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I'd suggest looking at a pulse oximeter, and seeing if one of those can give a pulse output. Some hacking needed, one would think.Kit here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LampTramp Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Silly idea but it might just work...What about an acoustic pickup like a Schertler DYN-G use the putty as normal then fix to the body with some good old tit tape..Might work..And they can run into a radio mic pack.Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I used to have one of these http://www.museumoftechnology.org.uk/nimages/A0320_ex.jpg WWII throat mics - they were great for picking up thumps. Not much use for anything else, though. Strap one of these to the chest, and do what you might do with a drum sound you don't like - use it to key a sample that sounds like what you are expecting. That way it stays in tempo, but sounds clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCC1996 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I work in a vets and the device used of taking blood pressure has a headphone out which puts out the sound of the pulse. I have no idea how much one costs, but there's probably a consumer version available. Plug the headphone out into a radio mic and you might get something useable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_beal Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 @JCC, do you mean a Doppler? These are highly directional so would be difficult to fit to a chest, think pen with a microphone on the end. I don't think a stethoscope will be much use - the diaphragm setting will pick up alot of movement artefact, but you might have more luck with the Bell. Getting the "thump thump" rather than a swoosh will be all about placement (and the dancer not having a murmur!) You might be best with two microphones... You need to place whatever microphone in line with the valves of the heart, as it is the sound of the valves closing that makes the thumping noise. I would have thought best placement will be "mid-clavicular line, fifth intercostal space" for the first heart sound (the mitral valve closing), and a second mic in the "2nd intercostal space, on the left border of the sternum" for the second heart sound (the aortic valve closing). If you google these terms you will find helpful diagrams, they are the places medics would usually listen to (auscultate) the different heart sounds as it is where they are loudest. Maybe get in touch with your local cardiology dept and see if they can recommend anything, I'm sure there will be tried and tested ways for listening to someone's heart whilst they are moving - if only for the sake of research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 It sounds like it might actually be dangerous to do, what with there being a positive feedback loop in there and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilflet Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 It sounds like it might actually be dangerous to do, what with there being a positive feedback loop in there and all.replace dangerous with amusing and that was my first thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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