Category Archives: Concept

Inspiration

Kinect Hack Makes Laser Dance Show, Turns Your Living Room Into a Nightclub

Sick of going to the club to party it up and dance the night away? No longer do you have to leave your own home; now you can bring the party to you and pump it up with a Kinect hack laser show and some sweet beats to go with it.

Using the Kinect’s motion tracking and mapping feature to his advantage, Kinect hacker Matt Davis made his body into an audio-visual controller. As Matt explains, by moving his left hand along the z-axis (from the front of his body to the back of his body), he controls where the focal point of the lasers moves (they aim forward or back); using his right hand x-axis (left to right) controls lateral (side-to-side) motion for the lasers; and on the right y-axis (up and down) is the size and so-called “craziness” of the lasers.

Also associated with each of these movements are various audio effects: Moving his left hand on the z-axis adjusts something called the master filter; moving his right hand up or down changes the frequency of the sound, and so on. Make sure to check out the video above for all the details.

The Kinect communicates with OpenNI (an interface that allows communication between devices like the Kinect and middleware), which talks to Max/MSP (avisual programming language used in music and multimedia), which finally talks to Ableton Live (a music sequencer that can utilize digital audio and/or MIDIdata). Matt also explains that the system is also talking to a laser control system by Henry Strange (yes, very strange indeed, but seriously, his music his pretty cool!).

With all of these audio and visual effects joined together, Matt can make some interesting dance music just by moving his body. Since Kinect is capable of simultaneously tracking up to 20 joints on two players, you could take things up a notch by inviting a friend over. Just imagine what the possibilities of this would be if you added in a kaossilator (a wicked awesome synthesizer)!

[Matt Davis on Vimeo via Create Digitial Music and Engadget]

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Original Post:

http://www.techhive.com/article/229402/Kinect_Hack_Makes_Visual_Audio_Laser_Dance_Show.html

Inspiration, Technology

The sense of sensors

Tilt Sensor

A tilt sensor can measure the tilting in often two axes of a reference plane in two axes. In contrast, a full motion would use at least three axes and often additional sensors. One way to measure tilt angle with reference to the earths ground plane, is to use an accelerometer. (Source: Wikipedia)

Tutorials

Accelerometer & Gyroscope

An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration (“g-force”). Proper acceleration is not the same as coordinate acceleration (rate of change of velocity). For example, an accelerometer at rest on the surface of the Earth will measure an acceleration g= 9.81 m/s2 straight upwards. (Source: Wikipedia)

A gyroscope (from Greek γῦρος gûros, “circle” and σκοπέω skopéō, “to look”) is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. Mechanical gyroscopes typically comprise a spinning wheel or disc in which the axle is free to assume any orientation.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Photo sensor

A photoelectric sensor, or photo eye, is a device used to detect the distance, absence, or presence of an object by using a light transmitter, often infrared, and a photoelectric receiver. They are used extensively in industrial manufacturing.

Motion sensor

A motion detector is a device that detects moving objects, particularly people. A motion detector is often integrated as a component of a system that automatically performs a task or alerts a user of motion in an area. (Source: Wikipedia)

Pressure sensor

A pressure sensor measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in terms of force per unit area. A pressure sensor usually acts as a transducer; it generates a signal as a function of the pressure imposed. For the purposes of this article, such a signal is electrical. (Source: Wikipedia)

Thermal flashlight (temperature sensor + RGB lights)

Thermal Flashlight

Concept, Pre-Observation

TO BE OR NOT TO BE : PROPS!!!!

General description:

The props that were utilized in the play Michael Kohlhaas were simple props but was interactive with the characters and was used throughout the play. Some of the props that were used in the play, to show that the characters were relaxing and some when the characters were anxious or agitated. The prop that was used to show them relaxing was a shell shaped bath tub which was filled with warm water (so the actors don’t fall ill). Another prop was pieces of cartons which was used to show the audience, that the character was sending letters to ask for his horse. Another prop used to represent agitation, anxious and sometimes relaxation were cigarettes. A toy lobster was also used as a prop to enact that they were having a feast, which did not play an active role in the play.

There were also props like a small table, some chairs, cutlery and food that was used, which did not represent an important role in the play but was still used by the characters to exhibit as a meeting place. An important prop was a horse which was a main part of the play.  The horse was depicted as a dead horse, which the actor brings out towards the end of the play which persuades the audience that he found the horse but it was dead.

Specific Description:

The shell shaped bath tub and the warm water was often interactive with the actors.  When the characters decided to relax and talk about the horse they used the tub as the mode of relaxation and interacted with the warm water. A beach umbrella was also used as an interactive medium with the actor when he used the umbrella to cover his face to hide himself from Michael Kohlhaas, to enact that Michael Kohlhaas was talking to another person. Aside from some crucial props for example the paper castle, the ink and the letter the rest of the props were not so impact and they are traditional linear props.

Grill
Grill
Small table, Chairs, Beach umbrella
Small table, Chairs, Beach umbrella

table chair umbralla

IMG_20141106_211144

Shell shaped bath tub
Shell shaped bath tub
Toy lobster
Toy lobster
Cartons
Cartons
Kohlhaas writing the letter on the cartons
Kohlhaas writing the letter on the cartons
Dead horse - TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead horse – TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead Horse - TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook
Dead Horse –
TheatreHaus Jena/Facebook

 

Kohlhaas buring the castle Photo Credit - TheatreHaus Jena - facebook Photographer - Joachim Dette
Kohlhaas buring the castle
Photo Credit – TheatreHaus Jena – facebook
Photographer – Joachim Dette
Concept, The Story

It’s all about London and a bar of soap?

Well, London is the place where Saki‘s short story “Dusk” that builds our background plot is settled. In this story an middle-aged man named Norman Gortsby observes his city from park-based perspective. He is sitting on a bench and in his minds he is judging over the society. After an old poor man has left the place next to him, a younger man takes his seat and tells Gortsby an uncredible story that ends with a lost soap and the indirect request for some money. Gortsby does not believe the young man who hereupon left the place. After the young man was gone Gortsby found a soap und suddendly the young man’s story seemed to be true after all. But sometimes it is not so clear as you think…