Back in the 1970s, I wanted to be able to type public square, or stairs, result in an enhanced sense while walking around, or compose music while jog- of timing. For example, the stairs in my building ging, so I came up with various devices that were like have 9 steps per flight (half floor), so if I always take a keyboard but without the board. 3 steps per landing and I get 6 bars of music (in 4/4
Of these, one of my favorites was a cluster of keys time) per floor, going up 3 floors I can play exactly mounted to a piece of plastic that I’d molded to the first verse of a Gershwin lullaby (“Summertime, exactly fit my hand. and the livin’ is easy ...”).
One of the simplest designs is the pentambic If I miss a beat, I know right away because I’ll end
keyer, having 5 switches, one for each finger and up with an “off-by-one” error when I get to the top
thumb, resulting in 17,685 different combinations. of the stairs. Instead of merely using switches, I
The septambic keyer provides a slight improve- use pressure sensors, so that the harder I squeeze,
ment by using 3 thumb switches, resulting in more the louder the note or chord that is sounded, and
than 29 million possible combinations, making thus, the keyer gives rise to a very expressive
it possible to map one English word to each musical instrument.
possible combination. If you would like to build a keyer for typing text, or
In addition to merely typing text, I also use the a “musikeyer” for composing music while you jog,
keyer to compose music, so that I can generate you can learn more from
wearcam.org/septambi/
notes in time to my footsteps. This results in the
index.html and from my textbook, Intelligent Image
ability to produce music at a nice constant tempo, Processing, published by John Wiley and Sons.
in time with a steady walk or jog. (I tend to keep jog-
ging in place when a stoplight turns red.)
Periodic structures, like the granite slabs in a Email Steve Mann at mann@eecg.toronto.edu.
Photography courtesy of Steve Mann
References:
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