London-based designer Gemma Roper has created Radio Activity, an internet enabled radio that allows the user to select music by their desired tempo or beats per minute (BPM). Depending on their mood, the user can swing from the slow 90 BPM of reggae to the faster techno beats of Gabba at around the 190 BPM.
Roper’s design is focused on interaction between people and their digital audio content. Radio Activity explores physical and tactile interfacing for online music without the use of a screen; instead it uses an overtly minimal aesthetic that becomes the focus for interaction.
The device pairs with Spotify and features a single dial that the user can move up and down to change their selected music, mimicking the tempo selection on a metronome instrument. By paring back the visual overload and digital clutter of online music platforms, the dial provides a direct translation between action and effect without the need for a screen.
Watch a video of Gemma Roper's Radio Activity in action.