Towel Tunes

a revolution in music and play

Introduction
We live in a digital age where new interfaces are changing the way we interact with music. The boom in technology has brought broader musical possibilities then ever before. Advances in sensor and speaker technologies have made them lighter, smaller and more affordable, and thus the range of their uses limitless. From these new technologies comes Towel Tunes™.

What is Towel Tunes™?
Towel Tunes™ is a self-contained digital musical instrument that creates music while you dry yourself!

Make bath-time both fun and entertaining with this tantalizing new toy. Perfect for both children and adults with a creative streak, it makes a great gift for any occasion. Who knows you might be a regular bathroom Beethoven. Perfect for the bathroom or the beach, take Towel Tunes™ anywhere you might need some snazzy sounds.

Get your friends together and start a towel symphony!

How does it work?
Towel Tunes™uses an array of embedded accelerometers and pressure sensors to recognize the movement, direction and amount of force applied to the towel and creates musical notes that are played back by the embedded piezo speakers(diagram). The sensors relay information to the integrated computer where your movement is turned into music.There are no moving parts so Towel Tunes™ is very light weight and durable.

Research links

Controlling Towel Tunes™
It is simple and easy to operate Towel Tunes™. Dry yourself off and just listen to what happens. The device works kind of like the bow to a string instrument, but instead of drawing it across a set of strings you draw it against your body. Below are illustrations of how Towel Tunes™ works.

Playing a note To play a note simply draw the towel horizontally across your back, chest, legs or other body part. The lower the body part you dry the lower the note. Dry your feet for low bass notes or your head to reach those highs.
Bending notes To bend a note simply draw the towel like you would for any other note but this time make an arched path instead of a straight one. An upward arch will bend the tone up, while a downward arch will bend the tone down. The more extreme the arch the more the note will bend. Go wild and experiment and find all the different notes you can hit.
Volume control Towel Tunes™ has two modes of volume control. There is a volume control on the cpu which allows you to set your maximum output. But you can also control the volume while playing. Pull the towel across your body softly for quiet notes, or rub hard for louder notes. The embedded piezo force sensors measure the amount of force being applied to the towel and thus controls the volume of output.

Care instructions
While Towel Tunes™ is rugged and durable there are a few things to know about proper care for this instrument. Towel Tunes™ is a musical instrument but above all else it is still a towel, so washing it every so often is a must.

Towel Tunes™ is not machine washable. Please hand wash in a gentle detergent keeping the speakers out of the soap as much as possible. excessive amounts of soap overtime could effect the sound quality produced by the speakers.
Do not put Towel Tunes™ into the dryer. Prolonged exposure to excessive heat from the dryer may cause damage the electronics. By line drying you ensure countless hours of enjoyment from this wonderful project.
Ring out the towel only when needed. Excessive ringing may damage the wires connecting components, which could lead to improper operation.
Most important: HAVE FUN!!! Our goal in developing this product was to create an experience never before imagined.