Project Maker (s): Lloyd May
Country/Area: Palo Alto, CA
Links to the Maker:
Maker Bio:
My current work focuses mainly on accessible and inclusive design because it’s the most fun I’ve had designing in a long time. Previously an engineer, influenced enormously by game design principles, Oreos, and Jack White.
Project Name: Nerve Sensors for Physically Accessible Instruments
Project Introduction:
This project is the result of a multi-day performance research lab that evaluated the efficacy of a novel nerve sensor in the context of physically inclusive performance practice. Nerve sensors are a variant of surface electromyography that are optimized to detect signals from nerve firings rather than skeletal muscle movement, allowing performers with altered muscle physiology or control to use the sensors more effectively.
Through iterative co-design and musical performance evaluation, we compared the performative affordances and limitations of the nerve sensor to other contemporary sensor-based gestural instruments. The nerve sensor afforded the communication of gestural effort in a manner that other gestural instruments did not, while offering a smaller palette of reliably classifiable gestures.
Special Thanks
to Maker Music Festival for inviting this amazing project to exhibit on Maker Faire Shenzhen 2021.
