Dr. Chet Udell’s instrument, the AirGlow, was one of 26 semi-finalists chosen from 16 different countries to compete in this annual event that WIRED Magazine calls an “X-Prize for music.” This futuristic battle of the bands will display the very latest new ideas in musicality, design, and engineering. Voting for the competition is currently underway for the public to help decide which 10 finalists will travel to Georgia Tech to compete for $10,000 in prizes at the final round. In the 13-year competition history, this will be the 5th time Dr. Udell has been chosen for inclusion in the events. 2020, Optron Pro, Invited Exposition. 2019, SpiderHarp, World-Finalist. 2017, Optron1, People Choice Best Performance. 2012, eMotion, World-Finalist. Udell is the Director of the Openly Published Environmental Sensor (OPEnS) Lab and the Arts, Research, Technology, and Expression (ARTEx) initiatives at OSU.
The AirGlow is a STEMstrument, or musical instrument that teaches Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This lightsaber-ukulele hybrid looks like something out of the future. The AirGlow gets its name from an air-guitar strum sensor and an LED light bar. It also has motion sensors, and a fingerboard sensitive to pressure and position. It makes use of a performance practice most people already know how to emulate – playing the air guitar. These gestures, when performed through the AirGlow, are translated into an application with many instrumental presets for plug-and-play capability. Applications that teach computational thinking and 21st century skills using the AirGlow are also included.
To view the semi-finalists and vote for your favorite, please visit: https://guthman.gatech.edu/semifinalist-gallery-2022
For more info on the AirGlow, visit www.stratosinstruments.com
Other links: www.open-sensing.org
School of Music 