Harmonic Driving

In the Harmonic Driving experience, the user "drives" a vehicle shaped like a note through a musical landscape. The presence of a seated participant is detected when a light beam pointed across the chair is interrupted. The user controls the experience with a novel joystick made from a large, bendable spring. Two-axis bending angles are measured using capacitive sensing to detect the relative displacement between the spring's coils at its midpoint (a "Fish" electric field sensing circuit is used). Twist is also measured with a potentiometer that rotates through the relative angle between the top and bottom of the spring.

Credits

Matt Gorbert, Rolf Rando - Software and Direction
Joe Paradiso - Sensor/Interface hardware design
Maggie Orth, Ray Kinoshita - Physical object design
Rick Ciliberto - Electronics Fabrication
Pete Rice - Music Programming

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