Alright, 'fess up - sometimes, when you're walking down the street late at night, you wish that you could tap your shoes to make music. It's alright, don't be shy - secretly, everybody who's ever seen the video for "Billie Jean" wishes that.
Thankfully, a trio of people have deigned to make your wish your come true with Beat Feet, a system that turns an ordinary pair of tap shoes into a synthesizer.
The contraption works by attaching pressure sensors to a pair of shoes, which relay their information to a complex bit of software via a module that the team chose to put on a rather spiffy hat - which, in the video above, is itself attached to a rather spiffy dancer.
You can check out the technology and code behind Beat Feet, as they've got a series of detailed schematics and information on their website.
About the Author
Navneet Alang is a Toronto-based technology and culture writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic and The Globe and Mail. Between 2010 and 2011 he wrote technology commentary for TECHi on Apple, cloud video and the future of the desktop computer.
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