Interpersonal Touch Musical Interfaces

Collecting some of the experiments in the field of interpersonal touch based musical interfaces.

The research project CLOSER explores new forms of interaction through touch and gestures. It overcomes conventional interfaces, investigates the meaning of interpersonal touch and examines the potential for tactile communication in health care and human computer interaction. Prototypes are explored in order to project future scenarios with our skin and body as a means of embodied interaction. Team: Alexander Müller-Rakow, Ulrike Gollner, Oscar Palou Ribó, Juan Pablo García Sossa, Birga Schlottmann and Jussi Mikkonen Supervision: Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost Many thanks to: Tiago Martins, Lynda Amer Meziane, Katharina Lorenz, Senior Research Group Berlin, Martin Dunkelmann and Osteoline University of the Arts Berlin Design Research Lab www.drlab.org www.skintimacy.org Contact: Alexander Müller-Rakow alexander.mueller@udk-berlin.de

Playtronica - Touch interfaces and performance

The Russian / French company Playtronica is definitely the most prolific creators of touch-based musical installations. They currently have two devices that they sell that allow anyone to create the kind of work that they put into public spaces (or perform in concert settings).

This blog post will grow over time as I develop a greater understanding of their work and look at examples of their performances and novel uses of their devices (Touch Me and Playtron).

Playtronica at the Pompidou

Playtronica created this performance piece in collaboration with Arte Radio at the Centre Pompidou. It is a re-imagining of György Ligeti’s music and inspired by the Endless Column sculpture b y Constantin Brâncuși in the background.

The passers-by had to, step onto Playtronica-wired floor, and touch the skin of the “columns”. Thus, by spontaneous interaction of strangers, a new interpretation of a famous masterpiece was born.

ART Installation during the Soirée Sonore #4 of Centre Pompidou in collaboration with Arte Radio. A piece based on Ligeti music and Brancusi "Endless Column"...

‘Inclusive’ testing of their installation at the Pompidou

Haptography: Digitizing our sense of touch

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/haptography-digitizing-our-sense-of-touch-katherine-kuchenbecker Can the sense of touch be harnessed with technology? The field of haptics explores the revolutionary: interactive touch technology. At TEDYouth 2012, Katherine Kuchenbecker discusses how haptics has the potential to change fields as disparate as museums, dentistry, and stroke rehabilitation. Talk by Katherine Kuchenbecker.

Skin based interface from MIT researchers

This movie shows gold leaf temporary tattoos that can be used to control devices through touch created by a group of PhD students and researchers at MIT's Media Lab. The team, led by PhD student Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, designed the DuoSkin transfers to look like gold and silver flash tattoos, popular at music festivals.