Joseph A. Paradiso, Flavia Sparacino

Abstract

This paper describes three different types of real-time optical tracking systems developed at the MIT Media Laboratory for use as expressive human-computer interfaces in music, dance, and interactive multimedia performances. Two of these, a multimodal conducing baton and a scanning laser rangefinder, are essentially hardware-based, while the third is a computer vision system that can identify and track different segments of the performer’s body. We discuss the technical concepts behind these devices and outline their applications in music and dance environments.