Objects with Multiple Sonic Affordances to Explore Gestural Interactions

We present a family of sonic interactive objects called Stonic. They are designed to provide users with different affordances, i.e. action possibilities, associated to specific sound feedback. These objects are used in experimental studies to explore how augmented auditory feedback influences the object manipulation.We selected a set of basic interactions based on studies on the auditory perception of physical interactions producing sound, These interactions correspond to different ways of manipulating the objects, leading to a set of design. requirements. Twenty initial objects were made with acrylic resin and/or polystyrene. Each different shapes were tested in order to select a smaller number of objects affording a wide variety of actions. The selected shape were finalized using 3D printing and equipped with several sensors: Force-Sensing resistor (FSR), Piezos and an Inertial Measurement Unit. Specific software was made to enable real-time recognition of the different interactions and for the mapping of each actions to specific sound processes.