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Stretch stitch (at left) is stronger and exhibits lower dynamic range than the zigzag stitch( at right)
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We present Zstretch, a textile music controller that supports expressive haptic interactions. The musical controller takes advantage of the fabric's topological constraints to enable proportional control of musical parameters. This novel interface explores ways in which one might treat music as a sheet of cloth. This paper proposes an approach to e...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... increased with amount of thread on the fabric, so dense zigzag stitches resulted in higher resistivity, but exhibited less change in resistance when stretched. Stretch stitches that had more contact points were also less likely to rip out of the fabric over prolonged use, although there was less dynamic range for changes in stretch length (see Figure 3 for comparison). A medium-sized zigzag stitch was chosen because it provided the greatest dynamic change of resistivity in proportion to stretch, while also having medium robustness against stitches becoming undone. ...
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This paper investigates the pinch angle as a menu selection technique for two-dimensional foldable textile controllers. Based on the principles of marking menus, the selection of a menu item is performed by grabbing a fold at a specific angle, while changing value is performed by rolling the fold between the fingers. In a first experiment we determ...
Citations
... There are several examples of projects that deal with textile interfaces as a controller for sound creation, Zstretch is an example of a haptic textile music controller [1], Aural Fabric uses conductive areas embroidered onto a fabric to create an interactive textile map [2], FlexTiles is a thin, flexible, stretchable and form-fitting pressuresensitive textile sensor [3], Roh et al. introduced robust and reliable fabric, piezoresistive multitouch sensing surfaces for musical controllers [4] and the FabricKeyboard is a multimodal textile interface based on fabric trackpads and ribbon-controllers [5]. Another group of works deal with the handcraft aspect of textiles in combination with sound: Encinas et al. explore how audio augmentation of routinized motion patterns affects an individual's awareness of her bodily movements [6] and Posch et al. address the potentials of the intersection between the textile and the electronic domain [7]. ...
... As an emerging technology, most of the current studies on elastic displays have focused on evaluating the performance of such displays [6,28]. However, evaluations of large-scale elastic displays are scarce. ...
... Others have studied the development and performance of elastic displays [6,28] to support navigation [36], and manipulation of physical [26] and multimedia [5] information. For example, TableHop [28], is a small-scale elastic tabletop using projections to physicalize earthquake data through 3D animations. ...
... Overall, the development and deployment of elastic surfaces are heavily limited due to the lack of advances in the hardware currently uses for projection and sensing. From a sensing point of view, there are limited solutions that incorporate sensors directly into the fabric [6,28]. Current technology using the fabric's threads as sensors is too experimental and hardly scalable. ...
Elastic displays provide a unique and intuitive interaction and could be deployed at large-scale. As an emerging technology, open questions about the benefits large-scale elastic displays offer over rigid displays and their potential application to our everyday lives. In this paper, we present an overview of a 4-year project. First, we describe the development of a large-scale elastic display, called BendableSound. Second, we explain the results of a laboratory study, showing the elastic display has a better user and sensory experience than a rigid one. Third, we describe the results of two deployment studies showing how BendableSound could support the therapeutic practices of children with autism and the early development of toddlers. We close discussing open challenges to study the untapped potential of elastic displays in pervasive computing.
... One-handed squeeze is widely used as input for controllers and music interfaces [51,12,191,192,173,45]. Stretch is less common compared to bend and squeeze, and can be two-handed [180,194,139,16,203], or one-handed [25,167,202]. Twist is the result of bending with two hands in opposite directions and can be performed either vertically [87,118] or horizontally [110,80,79,81]. Push is used often for input on elastic displays for depth-touch [189,24,68,129,72,172,55]. ...
... Examples include twist + touch [80], bend + touch [5,19,35,36], and stretch + touch [180], which combine rigid and deformable input. There are also examples where two simultaneous deformable inputs are allowed, including bend + twist [80,158,157,59,156], twist + stretch [25,16,195,77,53], and bend + push [122]. At present, multidimensional input with deformable interfaces are being explored. ...
... Flat deformable interfaces were proposed as controllers for various applications. Controllers with flat, elastic surfaces were proposed for music [123,173,25], and sonificationbased data exploration [113]. Trampoline [55] uses elastic surfaces, which can be pushed from both the front and back sides, to input in virtual repoussé and chasing applications. ...
Deformable interfaces are emerging in HCI and prototypes show potential for non-rigid interactions. Previous reviews looked at deformation as a material property of shape-changing interfaces and concentrated on output. As such, deformable input was under-discussed. We distinguish de-formable from shape-changing interfaces to concentrate on input. We survey 131 papers on deformable interfaces and review their key design elements (e.g., shape, material) based on how they support input. Our survey shows that deformable input was often used to augment or replace rigid input, particularly on elastic and flexible displays. However, when shapes and materials guide interactions, deformable input was used to explore new HCI paradigms, where gestures are potentially endless, and input becomes analogy to sculpting, metaphor to non-verbal communication, and expressive controls are enhanced. Our review provides designers and practitioners with a baseline for designing deformable interfaces and input methodically. We conclude by highlighting under-explored areas and identify research goals to tackle in future work with deformable interfaces.
... One-handed squeeze is widely used as input for controllers and music interfaces [51,12,191,192,173,45]. Stretch is less common compared to bend and squeeze, and can be two-handed [180,194,139,16,203], or one-handed [25,167,202]. Twist is the result of bending with two hands in opposite directions and can be performed either vertically [87,118] or horizontally [110,80,79,81]. Push is used often for input on elastic displays for depth-touch [189,24,68,129,72,172,55]. ...
... Examples include twist + touch [80], bend + touch [5,19,35,36], and stretch + touch [180], which combine rigid and deformable input. There are also examples where two simultaneous deformable inputs are allowed, including bend + twist [80,158,157,59,156], twist + stretch [25,16,195,77,53], and bend + push [122]. At present, multidimensional input with deformable interfaces are being explored. ...
... Flat deformable interfaces were proposed as controllers for various applications. Controllers with flat, elastic surfaces were proposed for music [123,173,25], and sonificationbased data exploration [113]. Trampoline [55] uses elastic surfaces, which can be pushed from both the front and back sides, to input in virtual repoussé and chasing applications. ...
Deformable interfaces are emerging in HCI and prototypes show potential for non-rigid interactions. Previous reviews looked at deformation as a material property of shape-changing interfaces and concentrated on output. As such,deformable input was under-discussed. We distinguish deformable from shape-changing interfaces to concentrate on input. We survey 131 papers on deformable interfaces and review their key design elements (e.g., shape, material) based on how they support input. Our survey shows that deformable input was often used to augment or replace rigid input, particularly on elastic and flexible displays. However, when shapes and materials guide interactions, deformable input was used to explore new HCI paradigms, where gestures are potentially endless, and input become analogy to sculpting, metaphor to non-verbal communication, and expressive controls are enhanced. Our review provides designers and practitioners with a baseline for designing deformable interfaces and input methodically. We conclude by highlighting under-explored areas and identify research goals to tackle in future work with deformable interfaces.
... For a first person account of the developments at the time, see Orth's closing chapter in (Buechley et al., 2013) about the work and challenges of this era. The Media Lab continues through to the present day to explore e-textiles as interfaces for creative expression, largely as handheld objects to be manipulated through squeezing or stretching (Chang and Ishii, 2007;Wicaksono and Paradiso, 2017). ...
... The size and materials were intentionally chosen to encourage engagement between performances and audience in a performance context. Chang and Ishii (2007) directly reference the malleability of textiles in their design of their audio controller Zstretch, though their final design was fabric stretched and mounted in a frame as opposed to a completely unrestricted piece of fabric. They observed that the "topological constraints" of the material meant that individual parameters could not be isolated when interacting with the object, but they found this to be beneficial to creative expression. ...
Electronic textiles (e-textiles) have played a significant role in computational audio ranging from wearable interfaces for creative expression to more utilitarian purposes such as acoustic monitoring for military applications. This article looks at e-textiles within computational audio from three perspectives: the historical developments of the field; the core enabling technologies; and the primary application areas. It closes with a discussion of what role e-textiles may play in future computational audio systems.
... Numerous projects have used fabric as a tangible interface. Chang and Ishii's "Zstretch" [1] is a fabric music controller that focuses on the "flexibility of gesture and expressive range" that is used while playing an instrument. Their choice of medium has to do with the elastic properties of fabric, and the input of stretching and pulling is inherent to the material of the controller, just as the input of sewing is inherent to the interaction in "Sew-Flow". ...
We present "Sew-Flow", a craft interpretation of the Digital Game "Flow Free" that is played on smartphones and computers. In Sew-Flow the screen is replaced by a fabric interface that is played by a process of sewing with conductive yarn. Feedback to the game play is presented by thermo-chromic colors that gradually appear. We lay out the motivations for slowing down the game experience and moving it into the material world. The crafting of the game elements and the game experience are described in detail, as well as the technological implementation. Insights from initial trials are described, showing that children and adults perceived the game in different ways. Future directions involve solving a number of challenges involving the thermo-chromic materials and conductive yarn.
... Post et al. initially explored the concept of e-broidery to develop several fabric-based musical interfaces [3]. These interfaces include The Media Lab's 1997 Musical Jacket, that consists of an embroidered conductive thread keypad and is connected to a wearable MIDI synthesizer and speaker circuits, and The Embroidered Musical Balls, which are composed of New electronic textile materials and integration techniques also triggered several new developments of deformable musical interfaces such as Zstretch, a stretchy fabric musical controller [4], the Fabric Piezoresistive Multitouch Pad [5], and the xOSC Musical Glove [6]. Giovanni et al. performed user studies on how musicians interact with deformable interfaces, including some of the aforementioned controllers [7]. ...
This paper presents FabricKeyboard: a novel deformable keyboard interface based on a multi-modal fabric sensate surface. Multi-layer fabric sensors that detect touch, proximity, electric field, pressure, and stretch are machine-sewn in a keyboard pattern on a stretchable substrate. The result is a fabric-based musical controller that combines both the discrete controls of a keyboard and various continuous controls from the embedded fabric sensors. This enables unique tactile experiences and new interactions both with physical and non-contact gestures: physical by pressing, pulling, stretching, and twisting the keys or the fabric and non-contact by hovering and waving towards/against the keyboard and an electromagnetic source. We have also developed additional fabric-based modular interfaces such as a ribbon-controller and trackpad, allowing performers to add more expressive and continuous controls. This paper will discuss implementation strategies for our system-on-textile, fabric-based sensor developments, as well as sensor-computer interfacing and musical mapping examples of this multi-modal and expressive fabric keyboard. Hardware ~ Sensor applications and deployments, Sensor devices and platforms, Human-centered computing ~ Sound-based input / output
... Soft circuitry as an intervention into a fine-art/fashion context aligns with existing explorations of digital craft practice for wearable and other non traditional devices by academic researchers, designers and hobbyists [4,14]. ...
... But it arrived in that context through the lens of crafting. Stitch Sampler combines musical interaction with craft-based activity, not as sonification but in response to the given limitations, and specific cultural context of the material practice [4,5]. ...
A growing body of research combines craft and interaction design. The "Stitch Sampler" project, a sew-able musical instrument and craft platform, stands in this context. In particular, the project serves to underline the importance of two conceptual themes that have emerged in HCI over the last decade, specifically the "material turn" of research on computing and the "practice" or "action-centric" turn in HCI. We present that our prototype and its evolution process as an example of a third trend in HCI research that has developed closely along-side these shifts, with relation to research specifically on craft practice. We discuss the Stitch Sampler and related work that couple electronics and smart materials with craft practices. In that way the act of crafting has in some cases become a form of computation.
... This piece expands on other large format hard surfaced drum pad interfaces by allowing for force, also known as velocity, control over the notes played [6]. While Zstretch uses a fabric interface for musical expression it does not include a video element [2]. Other innovative tangible interfaces for electronic music production include Jam-O-Drum [1], Reactable [5], and Mixitui [7]. ...
This paper examines the use of embodied interface design in experiential systems sculpture for art exhibitions, using the piece What We Have Lost / What We Have Gained as an example. Looking at musical instruments and MIDI devices for live electronic music performance as a starting point led to developing an interface that allows for more expressive physical gestures, and in turn functions in the area of interactive art. This paper demonstrates how HCI can be applied to and included within art disciplines to increase engagement with the artworks by transforming viewers into participants, players, and co-creators.
... Deformable interfaces have been proposed as elastic displays [6,18,21,34], flexible and elastic hand-held devices [7,9,20,24,31,32], bendable smartphones [1,5,12,13], sponge and foam controllers [21,23], and music controllers [4,7,10,26,35]. Studies have shown how deformations can be used as input techniques for various applications in HCI, ...
... Deformable interfaces have been proposed as elastic displays [6,18,21,34], flexible and elastic hand-held devices [7,9,20,24,31,32], bendable smartphones [1,5,12,13], sponge and foam controllers [21,23], and music controllers [4,7,10,26,35]. Studies have shown how deformations can be used as input techniques for various applications in HCI, ...
... We report such a study in the context of electronic music. We chose the music domain because much earlier work have explored deformable interfaces for music [4,7,10,26,35], and because performing music is a highly challenging and expressive real-time activity. Such a study will help understand how users take advantage of different materials, shapes, and deformations to control sounds. ...
Deformable interfaces offer new possibilities for gestures, some of which have been shown effective in controlled laboratory studies. Little work, however, has attempted to match deformable interfaces to a demanding domain and evaluate them out of the lab. We investigate how musicians use deformable interfaces to perform electronic music. We invited musicians to three workshops, where they explored 10 deformable objects and generated ideas on how to use these objects to perform music. Based on the results from the workshops, we implemented sensors in the five preferred objects and programmed them for controlling sounds. Next, we ran a performance study where six musicians performed music with these objects at their studios. Our results show that (1) musicians systematically map deformations to certain musical parameters, (2) musicians use deformable interfaces especially to filter and modulate sounds, and (3) musicians think that deformable interfaces embody the parameters that they control. We discuss what these results mean to research in deformable interfaces.
