Xyborg: A Wearable Hand-based Instrument for Musical Expression

Kristian Eicke, Stefano Fasciani, and Çağrı Erdem

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Xyborg, a wearable instrument designed to leverage hand input gestures and arm movements. Xyborg's aims include developing a low-cost musical instrument, providing the performer with expressive control over sound parameters, and establishing a transparent connection between gestures and the resulting sounds for spectators. The design of this instrument prioritizes controllable sonic features and a fixed comprehensible mapping between gestures and sounds, rather than aiming for a broad range of functions and variable mapping. The participants in the evaluation unanimously agreed on the potential for long-term engagement and recognized Xyborg as an instrument that enables expressive sound control through movement, emphasizing its skill-based nature.

Citation

Kristian Eicke, Stefano Fasciani, and Çağrı Erdem. 2024. Xyborg: A Wearable Hand-based Instrument for Musical Expression. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13904921 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@article{nime2024_69,
 abstract = {This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Xyborg, a wearable instrument designed to leverage hand input gestures and arm movements. Xyborg's aims include developing a low-cost musical instrument, providing the performer with expressive control over sound parameters, and establishing a transparent connection between gestures and the resulting sounds for spectators. The design of this instrument prioritizes controllable sonic features and a fixed comprehensible mapping between gestures and sounds, rather than aiming for a broad range of functions and variable mapping. The participants in the evaluation unanimously agreed on the potential for long-term engagement and recognized Xyborg as an instrument that enables expressive sound control through movement, emphasizing its skill-based nature.},
 address = {Utrecht, Netherlands},
 articleno = {69},
 author = {Kristian Eicke and Stefano Fasciani and Çağrı Erdem},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.13904921},
 editor = {S M Astrid Bin and Courtney N. Reed},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {September},
 numpages = {6},
 pages = {474--479},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/TfBJ1B59N0E?si=-g4J9ExiEyd9QyWE},
 title = {Xyborg: A Wearable Hand-based Instrument for Musical Expression},
 track = {Papers},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2024/nime2024_69.pdf},
 year = {2024}
}