F.I.G.
Factory Industries Group
MIDI Glove
Challenge: As a DJ and musician, I wanted to create a wearable which would make live performances more interactive. I was inspired by Imogen Heap’s MIDI Glove, but wanted to create a cheaper, open-source alternative which anyone with access to a FabLab could assemble for under $50.
Approach: The glove has three types of inputs: binary, variable, and directional, each linked to a different sensor. These can be combined for hundreds of customizable applications. For example, covering the LDR sensor can trigger a note playing, but covering sensors 1-2 in unison – or making a fist and covering all sensors – can be mapped to unique commands.
Applications: I have left extra pins on the PCB board for future modifications, and would like develop a ”Musical Medical Instrument” which turns the users health data into music by adding temperature and moisture sensors and converting pulse into MIDI, allowing the user to jam in rhythm with their own heartbeat.
To activate sound in the glove, I wrote code in Arduino IDE to program the Arduino Nano chip in the glove. After setting sensor parameters and conducting tests with a MIDI library in Arduino, I created my own MIDI sounds in Ableton (a music production software), then wrote code in MaxMSP, (a nodes software for sound design), which could read input from Ableton and Arduino IDE simultaneously.
I used KiCad to design a schematic and PCB board, integrating the Arduino Nano and sensors while leaving extra pins for future modifications. I used through-holes instead of socket pins to make the design more durable. I used modsproject.org, an open-source mods software, to program the Roland SRM-20 CNC machine to mill the board.