Syndyn
Check out Syndyn - the Artistic Sports Game.
This is one of those projects that is almost impossible to put into words. Introducing Syndyn - a 3kta concept that "merges aesthetics, physical activity and entertainment." The basic idea here is that Syndyn can take any sport - whether it is soccer, tennis, basketball, football - and turn it into an instrument for artistic expression. It's like an art installment that is "powered" by human physical involvement. Check out the video:
In this video, you see how Syndyn works when interfaced with a game of racquetball. With Syndyn, the players control all the audiovisual effects that happen during the game. The rackets (and the players themselves) are outfitted with EL wire and the shuttlecock has a bright LED attached. The rackets also have sensors which transmit data to a central computer. When the racket strikes the shuttlecock, it tells the computer which sound to play (based upon which "mode" is selected on an iPod controlled interface).
Furthermore, there is a camera which can take long exposure images to document the game. This basically allows the users to "paint" using their "instruments" (in this case a racket and shuttlecock). The result is some pretty stunning photographs. Beautiful project. Read more about it at this website.
