What is ATLAS and how does yeshcube research adaptive sound interventions?
ATLAS, Audio Therapeutic Library & Adaptive System, is yeshcube’s applied research program for organizing, assessing and adapting sound content for wellbeing and emotional regulation experiences.
The project combines a structured content library with an artificial-intelligence-based adaptation system. Its purpose is to document which resources have been studied, for which objectives, with which populations and under which conditions of use.
ATLAS is currently at a foundations and methodological design stage. Initial work includes reviewing evidence, defining selection criteria, building a taxonomy and preparing validation protocols.
Fragmented evidence on sound and wellbeing
Research on music, sound and wellbeing is distributed across academic studies, professional interventions and commercial applications.
Published studies use different populations, content, durations, variables and settings. This diversity limits the extent to which a finding from a specific study can be transferred to other experiences or people.
A composition may have been assessed in a hospital setting, with a defined population and under professional supervision. Its conclusions remain linked to those conditions and to the method used.
Some applications also group music, soundscapes or guided exercises without documenting content provenance, application conditions or the evidence associated with each resource.
ATLAS addresses this fragmentation through a system that connects each item with its characteristics, intended purpose and available support.
A library of sound content
The Library dimension of ATLAS consists of an organized collection of sound content.
Each item should include information such as:
- Content type.
- Duration.
- Acoustic characteristics.
- Intended purpose.
- Population studied.
- Application setting.
- Protocol used.
- Variables assessed.
- Available findings.
- Risks and conditions of use.
- Evidence maturity.
The library may include music, guided breathing, soundscapes, original compositions and other audio-based formats.
Inclusion means that an item has been cataloged for analysis. Its record should specify what has been assessed, which findings were observed and which questions remain open.
An adaptation system
The Adaptive System dimension examines how a sound experience can be selected according to context and the person’s stated objective.
Relevant variables may include time of day, available duration, environment, preferences, previous experience and the purpose of the session.
Artificial intelligence may use this information to order options within a predefined catalog. It may also adjust duration, content sequence or the type of guidance included.
Adaptation must operate within criteria established by ATLAS protocols. System functions should be bounded and documented for each application.
The usefulness of each personalization method is a research hypothesis. Assessment will need to compare selection criteria and examine their relationship with user experience and observed outcomes.
Content selection and validation
The process begins by identifying content or interventions supported by a relevant theoretical rationale or previous evidence.
The initial review should examine study design, population, measures, duration, setting and the proper scope of the conclusions.
Selected content may then progress to specific tests within the program. These assessments should define:
- The hypothesis.
- The participant population.
- The objective of the experience.
- The content and its duration.
- Application conditions.
- Primary and secondary measures.
- Potential risks.
- The analysis procedure.
The ERL scale can document the maturity of evidence generated for each item, protocol or adaptation system.
A level applies to a specific use. The same resource may have different degrees of evidence depending on the population, purpose or setting in which it is used.
Assessment dimensions
ATLAS considers several dimensions when assessing sound interventions.
Subjective experience
This dimension records how a person perceives their state before, during or after a session.
Measures may include perceived calm, activation, tension, mental clarity, enjoyment, suitability and willingness to repeat the experience.
Behavioral response
Assessment may examine continued use, session completion, frequency, interruptions and choices between different items.
These data support analysis of acceptance and feasibility.
Physiological variables
Some protocols may include physiological measures where there is a methodological rationale and suitable measurement conditions.
Variable selection depends on the study objective and the intended scope of the intervention.
Usability and accessibility
ATLAS should assess whether instructions are understood, whether an experience can be started and completed easily, and whether it is accessible to different user profiles.
Assessment should also consider sound sensitivity, sensory limitations, neurodivergence and possible cultural or linguistic barriers.
Safety
Assessment should record discomfort, rejection, overstimulation, adverse memories and any incident related to sound exposure.
Protocols should define stopping criteria and appropriate response procedures.
Preferences and cultural context
Responses to music and sound may be influenced by prior experience, personal associations, culture and preference.
A composition that one person enjoys may feel neutral or uncomfortable to another. These differences limit the usefulness of universal catalogs based on broad categories.
ATLAS studies how preferences can be incorporated without treating them as evidence of effectiveness. Enjoyment may support adherence and form part of the experience, although it does not demonstrate a specific outcome by itself.
Cultural contextualisation also affects instruments, rhythms, structures, voices and the meanings associated with each item.
Developing a diverse library requires collaboration with communities, professionals and creators able to document the provenance and context of the materials.
Application settings
ATLAS considers potential applications in domestic, workplace, educational, sporting, healthcare and residential settings.
Each setting requires its own protocols and objectives.
In workplaces, research may examine brief experiences for recovery, rest or regulation during the working day.
In sport, sessions may be assessed in relation to preparation, recovery and activation management.
In education, testing may address transitions, concentration, rest and demanding situations.
In healthcare or social-care settings, each application must reflect the population, care objective and involvement of professionals.
At home, experiences may form part of personal routines when their functions, limits and conditions of use are defined.
These applications are possible research lines. Findings from one setting require specific review before they can be applied in another.
Technological integration
Content and protocols developed through ATLAS may be incorporated into experiences integrated through Somia.
The architecture may organize content selection, sequencing and playback within compatible products, devices or spaces.
Integration may take place through applications, portable devices, acoustic booths and other solutions developed by yeshcube or third parties.
Each implementation should preserve the assessed purpose, population and conditions of use. Changes to duration, environment, interface or support may require further testing.
Scientific and transfer collaboration
ATLAS is developed within Allies as a program open to scientific, technological and transfer collaboration.
Scientific partners
Scientific teams may contribute to evidence reviews, protocol design, measure selection, data analysis and publication.
Relevant fields include music therapy, psychology of music, neuroscience, auditory processing, public health, human-computer interaction and research methodology.
Transfer partners
Healthcare, educational, sporting, residential and workplace organizations may provide application settings and participate in pilots.
Their involvement supports assessment of protocol feasibility under real conditions, together with implementation, training and monitoring requirements.
Development partners
Technology partners may contribute to infrastructure for cataloguing, playback, analysis, personalization and integration.
They may also provide tools for managing content, collecting data or deploying experiences across different devices.
Backing partners
Funding organizations may support defined areas of research, technical development or transfer.
Agreements should establish the scope of contributions, methodological independence, publication conditions and disclosure of conflicts of interest.
Resources for development
The program may require different forms of contribution depending on the stage of work:
- Access to study populations.
- Technological infrastructure.
- Scientific, clinical or methodological expertise.
- Spaces for tests and pilots.
- Access to archives, compositions and recordings.
- Cultural and linguistic adaptation.
- Funding for defined research lines.
Each collaboration should specify contributions, responsibilities, conditions governing data use and expected outputs.
Independence and governance
ATLAS governance should separate funding from scientific decisions.
Content selection, study design and interpretation of findings remain the responsibility of the research teams and the relevant review bodies.
Agreements with partners and funders should document:
- The purpose of the collaboration.
- Contributions from each party.
- Responsibilities.
- Data ownership and use.
- Potential conflicts of interest.
- Publication conditions.
- Stopping criteria.
- Rights associated with content and results.
Favorable, negative and inconclusive findings should all form part of the program record.
Development phases
ATLAS is planned as a progressive program.
Foundations and methodological design
The first phase includes literature review, taxonomy definition, preparation of inclusion criteria and design of initial protocols.
It also includes identifying scientific partners and potential pilot content.
Validation of pilot content
The second phase is intended to select content and assess it through bounded protocols.
Its objective will be to study feasibility, acceptance, safety and relationships with predefined variables.
Technological integration
The third phase will address the incorporation of assessed content into the technical infrastructure and the study of different adaptation systems.
Testing should examine technological performance separately from outcomes associated with the experiences.
Transfer and expansion
Later phases may cover additional settings, populations and content.
Each expansion should be based on accumulated findings and a review of the conditions required to preserve quality and safety.
Program status
ATLAS is at a foundations and methodological design stage.
Current work focuses on organizing evidence, defining cataloguing criteria and preparing initial validation protocols.
The applications described are objectives and research lines. The program must generate its own evidence to determine which content may be used, for which purposes and under which conditions.
Scope and limitations
ATLAS is intended for wellbeing, regulation and complementary support experiences.
Program content does not replace professional assessment, treatment or healthcare support where these are required.
References to pain, anxiety, sleep, cognitive decline or other conditions require specific protocols, appropriate supervision and clear boundaries of use.
Classifying an item within the library does not make a musical work a universal intervention. Evidence remains connected with a population, purpose, protocol and defined conditions.
ATLAS must assess each item, adaptation system and application setting separately before transfer is considered.
