Very recently, Google launched a new service in the form of Buzz, which made the location-aware-browsing, quite a phenomena on smart phones. But what about location-aware-music systems at home or work place that would tune to need of the user by identifying the place of the user in the given area of operation (maybe a room)? Sounds good. Let’s discuss the “Journey into Sound” project carried on at the interaction Design Programme.
Tentatively termed as “This is a Journey Into Sound”, the project by Filippo Cuttica, Jacek Barcikowski & Ulrik A. Hogrebe from CIID is actually a demo version of RHIFID based speaker control system which will groove to need of specific user. It means that two speakers will serve the same number of users by playing their fav songs separately, unlike now when all the speakers played the same music for all audience. Likewise, in its final form, the system might serve as many users individually as the number of speakers attached to it.
What the heck? You might be wondering “how this is even possible”. In fact, the system uses an effective integration of RFID technology and processing with Adruino, to form a music system wherein the speakers serve as location aware controllers, allowing user to interact with music and the environment by moving the speakers around the RFID tags.
Here is the process of how it gets done. First of all, a grid of RFID tags is formed. RFID tags are actually mapped with the songs on individual basis. For Example the most popular song of the specific decade and particular genre is assigned to each RFID tag. Expect more options to be available in the improved version, whereby you can select the fav songs for each RFID tags. This grid covers the area which becomes the range of the speakers. As speakers are moved around the grid, the specific RFID tag instruct the music system via speakers to play the song fed on to it and thus the user gets to listen what was fed on the nearby RFID tag.
The fun does not stop here. Think when more speakers than two (current capacity) can be joined together into the system which will let five users listen songs of their choice through five speakers, separately. And if this was not enough, speakers can form a group to produce the combined playback of all songs fed on the respective RFID tags, taking experience to creative heights!
RFID tags can also be adjusted in the light of samples, pitch and other sound effects. This is just the prototype of what can be done to explore the music system’s true potential.
So how do you feel about it and would you love to go for purchasing such a system when available in market in future? Or do you have some suggestions? Lets discuss them in the comments!
More of such intriguing stuff is available to explore in the form of Ritmo Baby Speakers and a multi-functional iPod Dock, Sherwood INET 2.0. See you.
