DTSonics: Sonified Digital Twin of the Human Body
Digital twins, originally developed in engineering to represent physical objects, are gaining attention in healthcare as models that integrate biomolecular, lifestyle and environmental data to simulate disease trajectories and predict health outcomes. Yet the concept remains unfamiliar to many audiences. This project develops DTSonics, an interactive, sonified digital twin that models aspects of the human body and makes health data tangible through sound and visual interaction.
Using simulated wearable-sensor data, DTSonics maps physiological signals to musical parameters including pitch, rhythm and timbre, with sound and visuals controlled through Max/MSP and TouchDesigner. The resulting dynamic soundscapes reflect changes in the participant’s physiological state, allowing users to interact with a personalised health-based digital twin in real time.
At the intersection of music, biology and data science, the project explores how sonification can communicate the complexity and variability of the human body while making emerging health technologies more accessible. Future developments may incorporate additional clinical parameters, biofeedback sensors and other hardware.
Jia Wei Lee
National University of Singapore
Jia Wei Lee is a PhD Candidate at the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, supported by the NUS President’s Graduate Fellowship (ISEP). Her research focuses on computational genomics, precision medicine and AI-driven digital twins. She is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and science communication, with a focus on making scientific research accessible through approaches that inform, educate and inspire.
Dr Jia Yi Lee
Jia Yi Lee is a Singaporean composer whose work uses sound as a medium for understanding and perceiving the world. Her music explores colour, space and embodiment in relation to culture, community and the environment, spanning instrumental music, electronic media and interdisciplinary collaboration. She challenges conventional notions of sound through curiosity-driven practices that create imaginative and immersive sonic worlds. She is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Davidson College and co-founder of the New Uncertainty Collective.
Davidson College