event
Synth Design Hackathon 2023

MAX, the Android

An Android which wants to become more human.
MaxMSP
Arduino
Light sensor
prompt
A humanised algorithm
category
Performance instrument
category
Performance instrument

Coaches & collaborators

institute
Chopin University of Music
Allow us to introduce our friend MAX, who seeks interaction with humans. To experience the unique features of Max, simply place your hand on its body and activate the sounds of its organs. You'll hear its breathing mouth, burping throat, beating heart, and digesting stomach. As you slowly remove your hand, the sounds will become increasingly inhuman. Step away, and MAX will request your assistance in returning to a more humanlike state.
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the tech

How does it work?

MAX's body is equipped with photoresistors mounted on each of his organs, which are connected to an Arduino Uno microcontroller. The amount of incoming light detected by each photoresistor is transmitted to Max, where it is processed. We use four prerecorded audio samples for each organ, with a state of zero indicating no light and playing an unmodified audio sample. Increasing amounts of light result in a shift in the Mix parameter from dry to wet. In addition, organs with activity around the photoresistor are louder in Mix. Random ambient digital noise is also generated in Max.
Open source code
Click here to grab this project's code
MaxMSP
Visual programming language for music and multimedia
Arduino
Light sensor
A light sensor detects light in its proximity
About the instrument
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