Codebreaker

Finally, a banana piano

Marc Sanchez Jun 12, 2012


Finally. Thanks to Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, a couple smarties at MIT, this is now a reality. The BBC reports: They have developed a kit called MakeyMakey, that can turn fruit, animals and even humans into keyboards.” Sure, they may be calling this system “MakeyMakey,” but we all know the banana version should be called the “Bananano.”

The MakeyMakey is really just a simple circuit board that has cables running to objects, then back to a computer via USB. And while the inventors have connected it to everything from broccoli to cat paws, they say there’s a bigger purpose. Again from the BBC:

… dozens of people had contacted them, wanting to customise the Makey board for people who cannot use a conventional keyboard.
“A father is currently turning it into a computer interface for his son who is suffering from cerebral palsy. We call this Hackcess.”

So I’ve been humbled. This thing is can be way more than just a bananano… but still, wouldn’t you like to hear it play chopsticks at least once?

 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.