Towards fast multi-point force and hit detection in tabletops using mechanically intercoupled force sensing resisors

Tangible tabletop musical interfaces allowing for a collaborative real-time interaction in live music performances are one of the promising fields in NIMEs. At present, this kind of interfaces present at least some of the following characteristics that limit their musical use: latency in the interaction, and partial or complete lack of responsiveness to gestures such as tapping, scrubbing or pressing force. Our current research is exploring ways of improving the quality of interaction with this kind of interfaces, and in particular with the tangible tabletop instrument Reactable . In this paper we present a system based on a circular array of mechanically intercoupled force sensing resistors used to obtain a low-latency, affordable, and easily embeddable hardware system able to detect surface impacts and pressures on the tabletop perimeter. We also consider the option of completing this detected gestural information with the sound information coming from a contact microphone attached to the mechanical coupling layer, to control physical modelling synthesis of percussion instruments.