Danceroom Spectroscopy: collectively generating music from movement

了解支配世界如何在分子尺度上运作的基本模式和规则推动了化学研究。特别是，化学物理受量子力学定律的支配，光谱学是获得有关量子力学系统的行为和结构信息的基本工具。光谱学是利用光来获取有关物质的信息，在包括过程控制、分析方法、天体物理学和医学在内的许多领域都有应用。在过去的50年里，一种被称为快速傅立叶变换(FFT)的数学方法使光谱技术发生了革命性的变化。FFT允许将依赖时间的信号轻松转换为频谱，这导致了许多领域的巨大进步，包括EPSRC研究范围内的一些学科领域：化学物理、量子力学、生物化学、有机化学、分析化学、激光物理、生物医学成像和数字信号处理。DanceroRoom光谱项目提供了一种创新和体验的形式，让公众参与到频谱科学、FFT和小波分析以及定量反馈中。在舞蹈室光谱中，一群跳舞的人的动作将塑造他们听到的音乐。利用尖端的机器人成像技术、计算机和数学，电子艺人(或DJ)将有效地从人群中寻找一种“氛围”，然后他/她将能够将其融入舞曲中。舞蹈室光谱技术将使用悬挂在舞池上方的三维成像摄像头来跟踪房间内的动作，就像参与者的头部在池水表面掀起涟漪和波浪一样。使用FFT和小波方法，旋转人群中这些涟漪和波浪的模式将被转换成频谱，然后被馈送到音乐软件中，电子艺术家可以将其转换为节拍和声音-从而从运动中产生音乐并将音乐反馈给人群。该项目符合PPE计划的目标：研究人员将开展与他们的研究兴趣(DRG和MNRA)直接相关的公共参与活动，培训和学习机会将被纳入该项目。提供一种创新的方式，让公众参与前沿和有影响力的研究领域，这些领域的应用充斥着我们的现代生活。数学和科学推动了现代世界的大部分进步；然而，很少有人尝试探索这些主题如何与现场艺术互动以参与公众的有意义的方式。虽然EPSRC最近的公共参与资金旨在探索科学和艺术的边界(例如，心脏机器人项目，以及一切和没有项目)，但DanceroRoom光谱项目是独一无二的，因为它寻求创造一种真正的互动和共生体验，使公众参与者沉浸在科学和艺术之间的边界中。DanceroRoom光谱项目还涉及到当代社会和文化问题：(1)人们越来越多地受到监视，DanceroRoom光谱是对这些技术的有趣探索：三维“监视”实际上是人群和电子艺术家之间互动的媒介，以促进集体行动放大的共享、有意义和愉快的体验。(2)数字技术正在被利用，为人们提供越来越个性化的他们可以控制的体验(例如iPod、“无声的迪斯科”等)。因此，舞蹈室光谱技术依赖于集体运动和连贯的形式，因此代表了对音乐体验日益原子化的趋势的有意义的回应

Understanding the fundamental patterns and rules that govern how the world functions at a molecular scale drives research in chemistry. In particular, chemical physics is governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy is a fundamental tool for obtaining information about the behaviour and structure of quantum mechanical systems. Spectroscopy is the use of light to obtain information about matter, and has applications in a number of fields including process control, analytical methods, astrophysics, and medicine. In the last 50 years, spectroscopic techniques have been revolutionized by a mathematical method called the fast Fourier transform (FFT). The FFT permits time dependent signals to be easily converted into frequency spectra, and this has lead to tremendous advances in a number of fields, including a number of subject areas within the EPSRC research remit: chemical physics, quantum mechanics, biochemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, laser physics, biomedical imaging, and digital signal processing. The Danceroom Spectroscopy project offers an innovative and experiential format for engaging members of the public with the science of frequency spectra, FFT and wavelet analysis, and quantitative feedback. In Danceroom Spectroscopy, the movements of a crowd of dancing people will shape the music they hear. Using cutting-edge robotics imaging technology, computing, and mathematics, an electronica artist (or DJ) will effectively source a 'vibe' from the crowd, which he/she will then be able to incorporate into the dance music. Danceroom Spectroscopy will use three dimensional imaging cameras suspended above a dance floor to track movements in the room, much as if the heads of the participants were making ripples and waves on the surface of a pool of water. Using FFT and wavelet methods, the patterns of these ripples and waves in the gyrating crowd will be transformed to frequency spectra, which will then be fed into music software that the electronic artist can translate into beats and sounds - thus generating music from movement and feeding that music back to the crowd.This project fits with the objectives of the PPE scheme: researchers will carry out public engagement activities that connect directly to their research interests (DRG and MNRA), and training and learning opportunities will be built into the project, providing an innovative manner in which members of the public will engage with a cutting-edge and impactful area of research whose applications saturate our modern lives.Mathematics and science drive much of the progress in the modern world; however, few attempts have been made to explore meaningful ways in which these subjects can interact with live art to engage the public. While recent EPSRC public engagement funding is oriented toward exploring the boundaries of science and art (e.g., the Heart Robot project, and the Everything and Nothing project), the Danceroom Spectroscopy project is unique insofar as it seeks to create a truly interactive and symbiotic experience that immerses public participants in the frontiers between science and art. The Danceroom Spectroscopy project also engages with contemporary societal and cultural issues:(1) People are increasingly subject to surveillance, and Danceroom Spectroscopy is an interesting exploration of these technologies: three dimensional 'surveillance' is effectively the medium for interaction between the crowd and the electronica artist, in order to facilitate shared, meaningful and enjoyable experiences amplified by collective action.(2) Digital technology is being exploited to offer people increasingly individualised experiences that they can control (e.g., iPods, the 'silent disco', etc.). Danceroom Spectroscopy, relying as it does on forms of collective motion and coherence, thus represents a meaningful response to trends in which musical experiences are increasingly atomized