The reacTable

Buckle your synthebelts: We are going straight back into the movie Tron and riding on our own sound effects.

The “reacTable” puts any normal synth to shame.  The sophisticated device serves as a “collaborative electronic music instrument”  with a round tabletop tangible multi-touch interface.  When the tangibles – which are the physical blocks you use on the surface – are placed on the table, various animated symbols appear such as waveforms, circles, circular grids, or sweeping lines. Some symbols merely show what the particular tangible is doing, others can be used by fingertip to control the respective module. When rotated or moved, the tangibles react by making an appropriate sound based on the topological structure and parameters of the sound synthesizer. A camera located underneath the table analyzes the surface, tracking all movement of the player’s fingertip and position and orientation of the tangibles. A projector underneath the table also is responsible for the animation seen on the surface, providing visual feedback of the activity of the sound being produced. Several performers can simultaneously share complete control over the instrument by moving and rotating the objects on the surface.

::drool::