Electrically Charged Ink Plays Songs Like Musical Instruments [Pics]
The music kit that allows kids to draw their own musical instruments and compose their own symphonies.
MusicInk is an educational toy that teaches children about music in an interactive and technological way. MusicInk is a paint-it-yourself musical instrument kit that includes a set of stencils and bottles of Bare Conductive paint. The electronically conductive paint turns any surface into a simple-to-use electric circuit. Bare Conductive paint made it possible for MusicInk designers to turn any artwork into actual musical instruments, finding a way for kids to play their own drawings.
Musical notes are mediated by an Arduino Duemilanove board and controlled by a Sparkfun MPR121 touch sensor. Encapsulated in a wooden box, the Sparkfun controller can accommodate twelve individual electrodes. Depending on the complexity and the number of electrodes needed for the instrument, MusicInk can play multiple devices at a time. For example, a piano with 6 keys would need 6 individual electrodes, whereas a trumpet only needs one. Each music note has been professionally produced and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
MusicInk can also be managed through a mobile app, which turns MusicInk signals using Pure Data Patch.
Check out MusicInk’s demonstration video below.