Virtual Instrument Control for Music Therapy
By Tindale, Adam R.; Benning, Manjinder S.; Livingston, Nigel; Challenges for Assistive Technology: AAATE 2007 Conference Proceedings, pp. 414-419Publication Date: 2007
Paper describes the Radio Drum, a virtual controller computer interface used to aid therapists in the context of music therapy. The Radio Drum, originally designed as a 3-dimensional mouse, uses capacitance to detect the position of two sticks above a surface. The sticks can be substituted for custom sensors for users with motor disabilities. The Radio Drum has also been adapted to be mounted on a headband for quadriplegic users to interact with a computer. The Radio Drum software combines programming capabilities with visual feedback for both the therapist and the patient. The software allows events from the Radio Drum to be translated into sounds that can be played, the most common event being a hit. Since the Radio Drum is capable of detecting the position of the hit, the surface is divided into a grid with separate actions for each cell, which then emits a separate event that can be mapped to pitches or actions such as single notes, chords, and volume control. Multi-modal Kalman filtering is used to track user gestures over the surface and output a more accurate, less noisy stick position estimate. Application presets developed for therapy sessions include flute sounds, drums, and a theremin. The system has been integrated into music therapy sessions at the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Canada. The use of microprocessors and dedicated DSP chips is being investigated to create a version of the Radio Drum that can be purchased for under 300 dollars.
Published by: IOS Press (Website:http://www.iospress.nl)
Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) (Web Site: http://www.aaate.net )
ISBN: 978-1-58603-791-8
