Beatbox Shirt
This is the second of 2 proposals being considered by Rowyn and myself
A "beatbox shirt" would augment the range of sounds that a person can produce using his body as an instrument by providing two or more "hot spots" which produce the sounds of musical instruments when hit. Pressure sensors would detect contact on the shirt (input) and speakers would produce sound bites (output). The default instruments to create basic beats might be a bass drum and snare drum, but ideally the shirt would be programmable to use sounds of the user's choosing.
This idea arose from the observation that I often tap out musical beats on my chest or other parts of my body with my hands, naturally assigning the “bass drum” to my right hand and the “snare drum” to my left hand. Body percussion is an intuitive human activity—from a young age children learn to make noise by clapping or stomping. Many people tap their hands or feet along to music—which has also been used in art forms such as Bavarian Schuhplattler dancing and African-American stepping.
The appeal of this concept is that it combines my interests in music and wearable computing. There is no functional problem being solved. Instead, the purpose is entertainment: turning the human body into a more sophisticated musical instrument. A single user could incorporate the shirt's drumbeats with dancing, singing, or other body percussion to create a solo musical performance. Multiple shirt-wearers could collaborate to produce more complex musical patterns. The shirt wearer could “jam” with other musicians, which is especially useful in non-formal situations, such as accompanying an acoustic guitarist on the beach.
This idea arose from the observation that I often tap out musical beats on my chest or other parts of my body with my hands, naturally assigning the “bass drum” to my right hand and the “snare drum” to my left hand. Body percussion is an intuitive human activity—from a young age children learn to make noise by clapping or stomping. Many people tap their hands or feet along to music—which has also been used in art forms such as Bavarian Schuhplattler dancing and African-American stepping.
The appeal of this concept is that it combines my interests in music and wearable computing. There is no functional problem being solved. Instead, the purpose is entertainment: turning the human body into a more sophisticated musical instrument. A single user could incorporate the shirt's drumbeats with dancing, singing, or other body percussion to create a solo musical performance. Multiple shirt-wearers could collaborate to produce more complex musical patterns. The shirt wearer could “jam” with other musicians, which is especially useful in non-formal situations, such as accompanying an acoustic guitarist on the beach.
