The Tunchair is a playback system that uses a 4D cinema chair to augment the experience of music with movement and vibration.

The haptic experience of the chair amplifies the emotion of music. Relaxing pieces become more relaxing; exciting pieces become more exciting. Aged Care residents’ responses to the experience ranged from deep relaxation to joy and glee.

Earlier trials involved a general aged care population. Since receiving the Decoding Dementia award from Dementia Australia, research is now focussed on quality of life for residents in memory support units. Beyond mood regulation, additional research is being undertaken with UQ and QBI exploring the cognitive impact of specific vibrotactile frequencies.