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2026 Galleries // 2026 Spark: Spring Student // H·M·H

H·M·H

Winner - Silver

Competition: Spark: Spring Student
Designer: Chanhee Yun
Design Type: Product & industrial, Concept
Company / Organization / School: Jeonbuk National University
Team Members: Chanhee Yun, Huisu Cho & Junseo Park

H·M·H is a personalized sensory-care headset that helps autistic children manage auditory hypersensitivity through sounds they choose and trust. Its name stands for Harvest · Mix · Hear, representing the three main stages of the experience.

Many autistic children experience sensory overload because their brains may have difficulty filtering irrelevant or unpredictable sounds. Conversations, announcements, crowds, mechanical noises, and repeated sounds can become overwhelming, causing anxiety, discomfort, or withdrawal from their surroundings.

Existing coping methods often focus on blocking sound with hands, earplugs, or noise-canceling headphones. Others provide fixed auditory stimulation, such as white or pink noise. Although these methods may reduce external stimulation, they do not always offer a familiar or personally reassuring sensory experience. Each child responds differently to sound, so one standardized sound cannot meet every child’s needs.

H·M·H shifts the focus from simply reducing noise to creating a personalized safe sound environment.

1. Harvest

Children can collect sounds they find comfortable in everyday life. By pressing the physical Harvest button on the headset, they can record sounds such as flowing water, forest birds, wind, rain, or other familiar environmental sounds. The simple physical interaction allows the child to participate directly without navigating a complicated screen.

This process also encourages children to explore their surroundings and identify which sounds help them feel comfortable.

2. Mix

The harvested sounds are transferred to the connected mobile application. The recordings can be reviewed, refined, and visualized through sound waves and colors. Children or caregivers can then combine the recordings with different types of color noise and adjust the balance to create a new personalized sound.

The app provides a guided three-step process: select a harvested sound, choose a type of noise, and adjust the mixing level. This makes sound customization understandable and manageable for both children and caregivers.

3. Hear

The completed sounds can be played directly through the headset. In Child Mode, the child can quickly generate and listen to a calming sound through a simple physical control. Parent Mode allows caregivers to organize playlists, adjust combinations, and play saved sounds based on the child’s preferences.

The goal is not to isolate the child from the outside world. Instead, H·M·H provides a controllable auditory layer that may support self-regulation during crowded, unfamiliar, or stressful situations.

The product’s design reflects this emotional purpose. Its softly rounded form reduces the mechanical appearance of conventional headphones, while the translucent structure communicates lightness and openness. Soft ear cushions provide physical comfort, and the gradient light visually represents the personalized sound being played. The lighting also gives children clear, non-verbal feedback about the device’s operation.

When the headset is placed beside the bed, Comfort Light Mode transforms it into a warm ambient light. This extends the product beyond sound and allows it to remain a familiar and reassuring object in the child’s daily environment.

H·M·H does not treat autism or replace professional sensory support. It is designed as an everyday sensory-care tool that gives children greater choice and control over their auditory experiences. By turning personally selected sounds into a familiar sensory space, H·M·H helps children find comfort while staying connected to everyday life.