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Video: D-Touch drum machine keeps heads, hands bobbing
Oh sure, we've seen countless drum machine hacks over the years, but there's just something special about one that's so simple, yet so fulfilling. D-Touch is hailed as a visual markers recognition system "that enables the development of low-cost tangible user interfaces and mixed reality applications," and here, we're seeing it used to create movable sounds. Users simply print out the cubes, fold 'em up, add lentils and arrange them on the highly sophisticated A4 sheet of paper. We get the feeling this one won't cost you much to replicate, so why not hit the read link for more instructions after digging into the vid just beyond the break?[Via Engadget German]
Zygote: the interactive party ball
Sure, you've played "keep it up" with big rubber ball or half-helium balloon at a rave or concert before, but you've probably never had the pleasure of smacking around a one-and-a-half-meter sphere that responds to your whacks with multi-colored blinks. Enter the Zygote: the "interactive" party ball. Yes, now you and your New Rave posse can really get into the "groove" by violently tossing a gigantic orb of light into the air, and then watch as fellow hedonistic revelers join in the fray. Created by designer Alex Beim of the interactive collective Tangible, the Zygote consists of a cube of touch-sensitive, colored LEDs, surrounded by a helium filled globe; when the ball is hit, squeezed, or tapped it emits a variety of colors. The Zygote doesn't serve any technical purpose, though critics have noted that the glowing sphere helps keep "bad vibes" from "harshing" their "mellow." Check the video after the break to see the magic in action.[Via Fresh Creation]
NTT's Tangible-3D prototype gives feeling to on-screen imagery
Regardless of general consensus, it looks like 3D display technology is making a run for our wallets (and to a lesser extent, our hearts), and just days after getting wind of Philips' latest iteration, NTT is hitting back with a newfangled approach of its own. Based around an improved version of the company's original 3D display, this prototype system relies on a sophisticated array of cameras and an actuator-stuffed glove that can allow the wearer to "feel the image" that shows up on the LCD. As the object changes, the glove moves along in real-time to give the user a lifelike idea of what the on-screen matter actually feels like, but unfortunately, it doesn't allow the individual to react. Thankfully, a two-way system that will enable tactile transmissions to be channeled in both directions is in the works, but those parked in Japan can check out the current system at the Industrial Virtual Reality Expo later next week.[Via Slashgear image courtesy of Mainichi]
Beat Blocks melds wood and MIDI in rhythmic harmony
No doubt we've seen quite a few attempts to mesh MIDI with, um, just about everything, but Jess Hoefs' Beat Blocks creation certainly brings back fond memories of our childhood days. Based around basic wooden blocks, colored with blue tape and adorned by bottom-mounted sensors, the system functions when a block is placed into a sensor-laden cube on the board, sending a signal to generate a specific loop. The "tangible interface for a rhythm sequencer" utilizes MIDI and contacts in order to generate sound signals, and by re-arranging the blocks on the fly, users can mix up the beats and create quite the musical masterpiece whilst reliving their days of innocence. Jeff is looking to ramp up two different flavors, with one being of a smaller, more performance-oriented design, and a larger matrix board to accommodate "multiple users." So if you're still curious just how fiddling with toy blocks can actually create musical delight, be sure to hit the read link and surf over to the video demonstration.[Via OhGizmo]
