I-Corps: Wireless Invention Kits and Media Engagement Platform

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Beginners face barriers to music making; music notation, technique, and theory can seem like pre-requisites to meaningful musical experiences. Current electronic music technologies are too complex, constrained, or expensive. Educators and children need better tools that support learning through creative tinkering with technology and music. Current tools are too complicated for beginners, not open-ended enough to support diverse student interests, inadequately supported by creative pedagogy and support materials, and too expensive. This I-Corps team is developing a musical invention kit that enables users to transform everyday materials, like paper, cardboard and aluminum foil, into musical instruments. The kit connects users' tangible creations to a music-making app in a web browser or mobile device. The proposed design is both simple, lowering the barriers to entry for musical creation, and powerful, enabling kids, families and teachers to invent and play with music and sounds they love. The proposed technology consists of a kit of physical and electronic materials that, together with custom web and mobile applications, enable kids to design and build musical instruments, interfaces and controllers. At the core of the kit is a microcontroller break-out board with analog, capacitive and high-resistance switching inputs. The microcontroller communicates with our custom mobile and web music and media applications via low-power Bluetooth enabling children to work with our kits avoiding the clutter, complexity and limitations of wires. Also included are paper templates pre-printed with conductive ink traces and connectors. These templates can be cut, customized, extended, drawn-on with pencil lead and conductive ink, and folded into physical objects such as custom music controllers and interactive storyboards. Tutorials and an inspiring online community support users' creative work.