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table recorder

the »table recorder« is actually a completely normal wooden table and may be used as such. however, it produces sounds if touched at certain spots on the table top or if something is being put down on it. the progression of the sounds being created are recorded and reproduced in different modi.

the sound generation happens exclusively via solenoids (like small hammers) pounding against arbitrary objects which can be stored inside the two big drawers underneath the table top.

the reproduction of rhythms comprises different modi:
in the standard mode the table records the events on its surface and reproduces the thus resulting beats half-hourly, every beat being repeated only three times. the table virtually resonates.

in the short mode the table loops the sounds in a short interval of two seconds, so that one can use it directly as a kind of sequencer.

the table goes without additional technical or local conditions, it is enough to insert it into the socket. moreover, there are no additional interfaces:

one can change the modi simply by sustained pressing of the outer sound zones.

a wipe over the whole table surface is sufficient to reset the sound reproduction.

due to its features the table recorder may be employed manifoldly. ordinary actions, as for instance setting the table, are being transformed into rhythms, thus attaching a playful meaning to this gesture.

dinner still slowly resonates several hours later or gives away the table having been used to someone coming home. maybe an incidentally created rhythm inspires someone to play along at the table.

another level of playing and functioning in everyday life presents the possibility to change the sound producing objects and to find new ones oneselves. the coffee box for instance can be stored easily in the drawer and simultaneously serves as a sound donor. if one is tired of listening to an object, one starts looking for new sound objects.

in the short mode the table recorder acts as a sequencer and allows the direct production of musical rhythms, so that it may be used as a loop recorder.

as the zones on the table activating the solenoids are relatively small, one gets better by and by in knowing where to touch the table in order to produce a sound.

the project emerged during winter semester 2007 in the digital class to the subject »game or play«.

The aim was to develop a play object which may be completely integrated to everyday life without being impractical thereby.

morover, the intention was to enable the game to be ready for playing at all times, and to involve everyday actions in the game, thus creating a mutual invitation between game and players.

furthermore, it was important that the device/object/system may work in any environment and is always at the ready, without the user having to attend to it.

the employment of self made solenoids supports the physical emphasis of the project as well as the achievement of a playful convertibility of the created sounds.

the table recorder employs an Arduino Mini Board as a micro controller, which controls the sensors within the table top as well as the actuators.

both the eight pressure-sensitive sensors as well as the eight solenoids are custom made and form a most cost-effective and easy to adapt technology:

the table top constists of several layers of wood among which are pasted thin metal bars. underneath the table top there are screws which may be fastened with a screw driver, thus completing the circuit between metal bar and screw.

if the screw is now turned back a bit, the gap between the two contacts becomes so small that light pressure upon the table top's upper surface is sufficient to complete the circuit.

this method enables sensors completed in itself and independent from the surroundings.

the table recorder's top may simply be opened,which makes it easy to adjust the individual sensor's screws and thus setting the sensitivity to pressure. to make setting even easier, there are likewise underneath the table top eight LEDs which indicate a sensor's completed circuit.

the solenoids consist of a coil with a flexible bar magnet on the inside. if voltage is temporarily applied to the coil, the arisen magnetic field makes the metal bar jump out of the coil.

the drawers' interior is stringed with a velcro fabric on which the solenoids can be attached in a way that makes sure they can make any object sound optimally.



take a look at the table recorder photo set at flickr for more detailed photos.

Prof. kora kimpel + dennis paul UDk berlin

download the arduino code