The Magic Carpet: Physical Sensing for Immersive Environments

measured together with upper-body and hand motion. This data would be used to create a truly “immersive”, tetherless musical environment, where any kind of body motion would be directly and immediately converted into expressive sound. An interactive environment has been developed that uses a pair of Doppler radars to measure upper-body kinematics (velocity, direction of motion, amount of motion) and a grid of piezoelectric wires hidden under a 6 x 10 foot carpet to monitor dynamic foot position and pressure. This system has been used in an audio installation, where users launch and modify complex musical sounds and sequences as they wander about the carpet. This paper describes the floor and radar systems, quantifies their performance, and outlines the musical application. This system has indeed been constructed, and although it does not currently tour with the Brain Opera, it has been used in several musical installations. The sensor systems used to measure the feet and upper body...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Joseph A. Paradiso, Craig Abler, Kai-yuh Hsiao, Matthew Reynolds
• Keywords: CHI 1997, Doppler Radar, Human Computer Interaction, Musical, Tetherless Musical Environment