A sensing system for a keyboard. Each key sensor comprises passive and active resonant circuits. The passive resonant circuit has a resonant frequency and the active resonant circuit excites the passive resonant circuit at the resonant frequency. A sensor driver drives the active resonant circuit with an RF drive signal, a multiplexing system multiplexes the drive signal such that simultaneously driven key sensors are separated by at least (k1) keys, and a detector detects a level of RF signal from a driven key sensor for sensing a position and/or velocity of a key.

A detection device includes: a movement detector that includes light emitters and light receivers, wherein in accordance with movement of a moving body among moving bodies, each corresponding to a different combination of a light emitter and a light receiver, a light reception level of the light receiver in a combination corresponding to the moving body changes; and a processor coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to: cause each of the light emitters to sequentially emit light in each light emission period by providing a driving signal, and cause a signal level of the driving signal to differ between unit periods within the light emission period; and select, for each light emission period, a light reception level in one of the unit periods within the light emission period as a detected value for each of the light receivers.

Described herein are embodiments of electronic sensorized spherical input and output devices, systems, and methods for capturing gestural input from a user's physical interactions with a spherical device. In one embodiment, the spherical input and output device includes a number of sensors along the surface area of the sphere in a configuration conforming to a user's fingers and hands. A microprocessor receives sensor input and transmits the sensor signals to receiving devices which include computer software to translate the sensor signals to audio output, visual output, or various functions on receiving devices. Additional embodiments of the invention include binary modifier functions which allow the user to trigger a number of different outputs for the sensorized sphere, such as volume control, tempo, sample playback, LED lights, game modes, and other functions. Other embodiments include the integration of inertial measurement units (IMUs), which may include a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers to capture complex user gestures involving motion, direction and spin of the sensorized sphere to provide unique output signals.

A tactile touch sensor (TTS) system and method allowing physical augmentation of a high-resolution touch sensor array (TSA) is disclosed. Physical augmentation is accomplished using a TSA physical overlay (TPO) placed on top of the TSA. The TPO is constructed to transmit forces to the underlying TSA. Force transmission is accomplished by either using a flexible overlay or with a rigid mechanical overlay that transmits user forces exerted on the overlay to the underlying TSA. Incorporation of TPO identifiers (TPI) within the TPO permits identification of the TPO by a TPO detector (TPD) allowing operational characteristics of the TSA to be automatically reconfigured to conform to the currently applied TPO structure by a user computing device (UCD). The UCD may be configured to automatically load an appropriate application software driver (ASD) in response to a TPI read by the TPD from the currently applied TPO.

A sound generating analog synthesizer that is comprised of potentiometers, a switch or switches and a set of patch jacks has a control system that can be operated in three modes, a manual mode, an automatic mode, and a guided mode; wherein manual mode allows potentiometer and switch positions as well as patch cable connections to be set by hand; wherein automatic mode, automatically sets patch connections as on or off, as well as set potentiometer positions and switch states with electromechanical or electrical devices; and wherein the guided mode provides at least one visual information on how to change the potentiometer positions, switch states, and patch jack connections such that a previously obtained sound can be reproduced.

A sound generating analog synthesizer comprising a controller electronically connected to rotate at least one knob, actuate at least one switch, and make at least one patch connection; said knob comprising a drive system, a shaft position sensor, and a potentiometer; wherein said controller rotates at least one knob by generating instructions to said drive system; said at least one switch comprising an electronic connection to said controller to turn on or off said switch upon receiving instructions from said controller; and at least one patch connection, comprising at least one patch switch, wherein said at least one patch switch controls connection between at least one input of said patch and at least one output of said patch; and a control system to interpolate the potentiometer, switch and patch connections between at least two predetermined settings.

A musical instrument includes: a vibrating member configured to be vibrated by a playing operation; an adjusting mechanism configured to perform physical adjustment to change a vibration manner of the vibrating member in playing; a detector configured to detect an adjustment state of the adjusting mechanism; a musical-sound generator configured to generate musical sound based on the playing operation; and a controller configured to control a manner of generation of the musical sound by the musical-sound generator, based on the adjustment state detected by the detector.

A controller device for the production of electronic music includes multiple control surfaces, including a touch sensitive display and a matrix of actuator pads, each of which are capable of operating in different modes simultaneously.

A switching device includes: an actuator that is rotatable; and a contact member including an upper surface section having a flat portion and is movable in a vertical direction according to rotation of the actuator, and a deformation section disposed between a support member and an end portion of the upper surface section and deformed according to movement of the upper surface section. A chamfer portion interconnecting a contact surface contacting with the contact member and a side surface, of the actuator, is provided between a virtual plane containing an end portion, in an extending direction of the rotary shaft, of the upper surface section, and is perpendicular to the upper surface section and a virtual plane containing an end portion, in the extending direction of the rotary shaft, of a portion where the deformation section makes contact with the support member, and is perpendicular to the upper surface section.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide systems, methods, and computer-readable medium for implementing user interfaces for interacting with a virtual instrument. For example, a user interface for a virtual instrument may be presented on a display of a device. The user interface may have any suitable number of strings (or keys) associated with a physical instrument. Each string/key may correspond to an associated audio file. Touch input may be received at the user interface. In some embodiments, the touch input may include a location corresponding to a particular string. The associated audio file may be selected based on the location. The associated audio file may be presented (e.g., via a speaker of the device) at a volume that corresponds with the pressure at which the touch input was provided.