Download Building The optimal optical guitar

BUILDING THE
OPTIMAL OPTICAL
GUITAR
Presented by: Chasen Himeda
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hossein Asghari
Optics and the Guitar
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Optics is the branch of physics
that studies the properties and
behavior of light.
Focus: Light behavior as a wave
Acoustics is the branch of physics
that studies the properties and
behavior of sound.
Focus: Sound behavior as a wave
Related Work
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Queen University (Canada): Hans-Peter Loock
Uses sensors to analyze vibration of the guitar body and
translates to sound
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D. Mendiola, M. Norgia, A. Pesatori
Replaces guitar strings with laser
beams; detection of blocked
lasers indicates finger placement
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M. French, K. Lewis
Uses lasers to analyze vibrational patterns across the guitar body
Research Question:
How can light transmitted through a guitar string serve
as a medium for the propagation of sound waves?
Translation: How can light be used to produce a
guitar’s sound?
Methodology/Laboratory Setup
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Continuous Wave Laser
Electro-Optic Modulator
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Optical Fiber
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More effective at transmitting light than guitar string
Oscilloscope
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Reads original light wave
Reads/Displays wavepattern
Computer System
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Fourier analysis and sound translation
Expected Product
Upon successful completion of isolating the sound wave from
light wave from one string, the laboratory set up can be
multiplied by six to simulate the six individual strings of the
guitar.
Actual guitar tuning
can be matched by
adjusting the tension
of each optical fiber.
Experimentation with lab equipment is necessary to
efficiently collect data from six strings simultaneously.
References
Abdul Al-Azzawi, “Photonics: Principles and Practices”, Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis
Group, 2007.
B.E.A. Saleh and M.C. Teich, “Fundamentals of Photonics”, 2nd ed., Hoboken: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.
David Mario Mendiola, “Laser Guitar,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tech. Rep., June 2008.
M. Norgia and A. Pesatori, “Laser Pitch-Detection for Electric Guitar,” in Proc. IEEE
Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, May 2010.
Mark French and Keith Lewis, “Modal Analysis of an Acoustic Guitar,” presented at
the 13th Int. Modal Analysis Conf., Nashville, Tennessee, 1995.
Paul Ridden. (2011, July). System Uses Lasers to Detect the Pitch of a Guitar String Before
a Note is Played. Gizmag. [Online]. Available: http://www.gizmag.com/lasersystem-detects-guitar-string-pitch/19278/
Images Used
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(1)(6) Laser Guitar Prototype
(2) Optics Animation
(2) Sound Animation
(3) Laser Guitar Pitch Detection
(5) Animated Waves
(5) Electro-Optic Modulator
(5) Laser & Optical Fiber
(5) Oscilloscope