Abstract

Because of the comparatively high degree of manual dexterity in the general population, most human-computer and musical interfaces concentrate on precisely measuring gesture expressed by the hands and fingers, devoting little, if any, attention to the expressive capability of the feet. We have developed an interface that breaks this tradition by measuring many parameters that can be articulated at the foot of a trained dancer. Previous foot-sensing performance interfaces have generally been very simple, measuring only impacts at the heel and toe, usually with a piezoelectric pickup.
This system won the 2000 Discover Award for Technical Innovation in the Entertainment category. media.mit.edu/resenv/danceshoe.html

• Joe Paradiso is a doctor and electronic engineer. After having worked at the CERN in Geneva, he joined the Medialab in 1994, where he directs the Responsive Environments Group. This group explores the development and the application of the new technologies of sensors for man-machine inter¬faces and for intelligent environments. By working with different teams, he nas developed a great number of interfaces and systems for electronic music and synthesizers.