Well, in my never-ending quest for new ways to control a computer and a projected image, this is one I have wanted to investigate since last year. So I ordered a Makey Makey touch controller:
It connects to the computer via USB, and to conductive objects with alligator clips.
People have used it to make fun stuff like "banana pianos":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkPt9MYqDW0
But most of the stuff I found on Google is rather geeky and shoddily made, except for this "apple marimba":
I do like the idea of using graphite on paper as a touch trigger, and made a little experiment with a rough drawing that plays 'Twinkle Little Star" when you run your finger along the bottom "keys":
Besides the 6 keys on the front that I used, the Makey Makey has 6 more connections in the back pre programmed for letters W,A,S,D,F and G, so it offers a total of 12 touch inputs. I could make an instrument or graphite drawing playing a tune with 12 notes.
Now if I could figure out how to also make LED lights turn on and off, I would be in business! That should be easy…
Well, not so easy actually. The Makey Makey talks to the computer allright but to turn lights on and off, the computer has to talk to the lights, and to do that, I will need an electronic interface called an Arduino:
I am going to have to learn to program the Arduino to do what I want using the PROCESSING language and the Arduino software.
So I went ahead and ordered an Arduino Kit from Amazon, which on top of the Arduino Uno, includes a breadboard, a manual, and all king of gadgets to connect to it:
I would really love to see a "music and light making contraption" at Light Dreams. It could be a big drawing that plays tunes and lights up when you run your finger on it, or stepping stones that play music and light up when you walk, or a fruit xylophone that projects matching images, or a set of lighted balloons under a conductive ceiling...
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