This video popped up on the Best of YouTube podcast. The developers describe the system as follows:
a prototype musical instrument capable of generating sound in real time from the lines of doodles as well as from the contours of three-dimensional objects nearby (hands, dancer's silhouette, architectural details, etc). There is no camera nor projector: a laser spot explores the shape as a pick-up head would search for sound over the surface of a vinyl record - with the significant difference that the groove is generated by the contours of the drawing itself.
I don’t pretend to understand the underlying technology – I just know that
a) The “music” needs some work.
b) I want one anyway.
c) So do my cats.
Weird…but I bet the cats would really like it!
Yes, if their response to the laser pointer is any guide!
The more, um, eccentric1 of my two cats really responded to the sound of this video on my laptop speakers, too.
1 I swear she must have been dropped on her head as a kitten or something.
That is really odd – I don’t actually believe it for the time being. I’ll have to think about it.
It would be a great cat toy though!
Well, you probably have a much better chance of understanding it than I do! Please let me know if you figure it out ;)