A Picture Share!
Thanks to Will for lending his midi controller. music is coming pretty well, little too creepy, but ok.
05:17 PM December 13, 2004 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
A Picture Share!
Success. Capacitance sensors are reading through the sculpture. Full steam ahead on the music, and then animations, and hopefully a cool paintjob.
11:46 PM December 07, 2004 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
A Picture Share!
04:05 AM December 01, 2004 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
CTIN 534 - Final - sculpture sketch
may or may not look like this.

09:08 PM November 29, 2004 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
CTIN 534 - Final


Synopsis: 8 capacitance sensors that respond to proximity and touch of something with a different capacitance (e.g. human hand), and thus control the mixing of music and projected visuals. Initially I thought my sensors would return a range of values like a Theremin. Turns out they sense a binary change. My Theremin like approach (see the "Immersive Pod" post) was to be sensitive to a large distance (1-2 ft) and also have force sensors under a flexible silicone surface so that not only proximity but the force of ones hands would affect the music and visuals. For money and time matters, it's been cut down.
Approach: QT113H Sensor (DigiKey part number: 427-1012-ND) for sensing binary change in capacitance; sensitivity depends on surface area of sensor, in my case, wire copper mesh with a thin layer of Sculpy clay molded over the surface to create 8 "stone" sensors. My sensitivity is around 1/2-1". Flash for animation. Fruity Loops, and perhaps guitar and keyboard for Music, Director for managing all of it. 8 pairs of music and visuals are faded in or out when any of the 8 sensors are triggered.
Status: Circuits completed and working. Sensors soldered and tested, but yet to be sculpted fully. Abandoned one approach for mixing because it was too limiting, so now need to figure out new Lingo mixing code that does more precisely what I want. Animation and Music in process.
Beyond: Ideally would like to have visuals and music generated procedurally rather than precomposed and simply fading in and out. The generation would not be completely controlled by the interactor, but would be partially controlled or "guided" in a thematic "flow" by the computer, as well as generate its own score when there is not interaction present.
wrote this fast, so hopefully it's not confusing.
05:24 PM Comments 0 TrackBack 0


