Wrapped in a flexible housing, the SpecDrum wearable fits almost any finger.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
The idea behind the SpecDrums is a simple one, powered by an even simpler device worn on a finger, or multiple digits. It looks like an oversized, upside-down class ring made of flexible silicone, but packed with an optical sensor, LED, and a battery, instead of semi-precious gemstones. It’s essentially a compact MIDI device that triggers an accompanying mobile app to play sounds based on a given color being detected.
To ensure colors are detected accurately, the SpecDrum wearable uses a neutral white LED light that’s only triggered when an accelerometer detects a physical tap, illuminating what the ring’s sensor is seeing. In the GIF above, you can see its brief afterglow as I repeatedly tap on an included rollable play pad that serves as a simple eight-key piano. But the real appeal of the SpecDrum wearable is that it can detect the color of almost any object that can be physically tapped, and trigger a response—like a sound, a sample, or a beat—and potentially other outcomes as well.
The SpecDrums app functions like a basic digital piano, but the colored keys are triggered when the wearable detects each color.The sounds and trigger colors in the SpecDrum app can be easily customized.To get users started, the SpecDrums app will include a series of pre-recorded sound collections that can be downloaded and played.The SpecDrum app also allows users to record a live performance. 1 / 4
Ahead of CES 2019 we had the opportunity to try out a finalized version of the SpecDrums hardware, but only an early-access version of the accompanying mobile app. It functions like a synthesizer, allowing you to play sounds, beats, or sound effects using the SpecDrum wearable (or by just tapping your device’s screen) with a limited amount of additional functionality that hints at where Sphero plans to take the toy.
You can change the app’s default trigger colors to almost anything by simply tapping the SpecDrum sensor on a real-world object, and even custom record your own sounds to be played. The app also currently includes a small library of sound collections that can be downloaded and performed, which Sphero will undoubtedly expand once the toy is officially available. There’s even the option to record a performance, and hopefully, Sphero will eventually allow users to share sound collections online (assuming proper recording laws are followed) similar to how the company lets its users swap and trade custom programs with its other STEM-based toys.
Will we soon see DJs in the club tapping their way through a set with SpecDrums sensors on every finger? Probably not. While the wearable is very responsive—it genuinely feels like you’re playing a tangible instrument—it will occasionally not register a tap if the sensor hasn’t made proper contact with an object or a surface.
For example, reliably getting a musical response when tapping on an orange that could roll around required some practice, and even then the app had a hard time distinguishing the fruit’s color from the orange panel on the play pad. The sensor the wearable uses, which Sphero promises can detect thousands of colors, doesn’t have anywhere near the same color fidelity as the ones used in digital cameras. But with a price tag of $65 (or $99 for a pair of rings) that’s not terribly surprising. The SpecDrums kit isn’t a tool for professional musicians, it’s a toy for aspiring musicians that want to further inspire their musical experimentation. And as an admitted fidgeter, it’s already succeeded in holding my interest longer than a spinner.
[Sphero]
Follow along with all of our CES 2019 coverage here.
Share This Story