Who knew Georgia Tech was a hotbed of musical instrument innovation? Well, apparently a lot of people knew, but I sure didn’t. They actually have a Center for Music Technology and next month they are presenting the 2012 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. Check out the Resistor JelTone, a “partially edible toy piano” by Brooklyn-based hacker collective, NYC Resistor, or the Audio Skin, incorporating on-body textiles in a sculptural and performative musical instrument, by Vienna, Austria-based Martin Rille.
Resistor-JelTone
Musical instruments are brilliantly complex devices that, from an engineering perspective, are a tremendous challenge to combine ergonomics, sound, and aesthetic nuance. An instrument must not only produce a desirable sound, it must interface with the human body in such a way that the function is sufficiently intuitive as to become an aid rather than a hindrance to music making. Having an instrument that is also delicious is simply a bonus.