Detail: Our original idea

Detail: Our original idea

Jasper Sims

While researching and learning about musical prosthetics, we saw a video about a project that was made called the Dodecahedron.  This is an instrument that is controlled by the movement of your hands.  It plays different sounds depending on which side of the instrument you play.  Our group formed based on our interest in this video, and we created our first sketch of a possible prototype.  The original idea was to make 3 triangular panels that had infrared sensors that would detect the movement of our hands.  We planned on controlling the volume through the distance of our hands to the sensors.  We also wanted to include LED lights to add more of an effect to the prosthetic.  We were hoping the panels would be able to spin, and based on the speed of the rotation, the light would flicker different colors.  After thinking through all these aspects we wanted to include, we came up with the name “Merkaba.” Merkaba is a form of meditation that uses one’s energy, directing it across three triangles surrounding the person.  We liked the similarity in focusing on triangles, so we decided to name our project that.  We spent a few days sketching the triangular panels and discussing how to build the prosthetic.  However, after further deliberation, we decided it would be better to make the musical prosthetic be something one can wear.  This brought us to our final project, which was a bracelet.  We faced many more changes after we thought of the bracelet, but we had narrowed down our brainstorming ideas, and were ready to start on the technical and design piece.