Inkar Shayakhmet and Zarina Bektulla, schoolgirls from Shymkent, have unveiled Dombra Sense, a system that enables people with visual and hearing impairments to learn the dombra. Their invention pairs the traditional Kazakh instrument with a mobile app and artificial intelligence.
Work on the project began last year. The girls wanted to make the nation's music accessible to people of all abilities. They fitted the instrument with LEDs and small vibration motors. A green light signals that the player should use the upper string, a red light the lower one. Vibrations indicate which direction to move the hand when strumming.
Hard-of-hearing musicians are guided by tactile signals, while blind players can rely on Braille markings on a special case. The students also designed a bracelet that uses vibration to show which way the hand should move.
A mobile app is part of the system. Users can choose lessons, set the pace of learning and add new pieces of music. According to its creators, the built-in artificial intelligence turns sheet music, lyrics and audio recordings into interactive lessons. A virtual assistant answers students' questions around the clock.
Some of the prototype's parts were made on a 3D printer, and the remaining components were found at school. The team is now working to bring down the cost of the device. Zarina Bektulla, an eleventh-grader, said they have already signed an agreement with a special school for children with hearing impairments and plan to hold their first lessons there. Together with their teacher, the young inventors are preparing paperwork to apply for a patent.
For their next project, the schoolgirls plan to make a special glove that will help people with cerebral palsy learn to play musical instruments. They hope their inventions will make music education more accessible and introduce more people to the culture of Kazakhstan.
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