Shoulder Rest Haptic Feedback for Digital Violins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing musical instruments, such as digitally augmented violins, lack haptic feedback, causing a disconnect between the performer's physical experience and the audio output, leading to unnatural playing sensations due to remote sound diffusion.
Innovation Solution
A shoulder rest for digital musical instruments equipped with a haptic element, such as a voice coil, that generates feedback signals responsive to the instrument's output, providing tactile vibrations to the performer, thereby enhancing the physical connection with the instrument.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If audio feedback is delivered through remote loudspeakers, then the performer can hear the digitally augmented sound, but the performer experiences an unnatural feel due to the disconnect between physical playing and auditory feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates audio feedback delivery (through loudspeakers) from haptic feedback delivery (through the shoulder rest), allowing each to be optimized independently. The haptic element is coupled to the shoulder rest to provide localized tactile feedback at the point of contact, while audio feedback continues to be delivered remotely through loudspeakers.
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic element acts as an intermediary between the digital audio system and the performer's body. It translates the audio signal into tactile vibrations that can be felt through the shoulder rest, creating a physical connection that bridges the gap between digital audio output and the performer's sensory experience.
2Loss of information
If haptic feedback is added to digitally augmented instruments, then the performer's tactile experience is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shoulder rest serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the instrument, delivers haptic feedback through the coupled haptic element, and maintains contact with the performer's body. By making the shoulder rest multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated haptic feedback devices that would increase complexity further.
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic feedback system utilizes the existing shoulder rest structure as its delivery mechanism. Rather than requiring a separate feedback device, the system repurposes the shoulder rest's inherent position and contact with the performer's body to deliver tactile feedback, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The haptic feedback system integrates acoustic and digital elements, recreating a traditional performance experience by allowing performers to feel the tactile vibrations of the audio, improving the multimodal dimensionality and performability of digitally augmented instruments.
Implementation Method 1
the haptic element is a voice coil
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are various embodiments of haptic systems for digital musical instruments. In embodiments, the haptic systems comprise a shoulder rest that has been modified with haptic elements capable of generating a feedback signal to a user of a digital musical instrument.