Programmable Force-Feedback Keyboard

Abstract

Electronic instrument interfaces exist in a wide variety of forms today, and many have the capability to accurately reproduce the sounds of their acoustic counterparts. They all exhibit one major fault however: an inability to precisely reproduce the touch response that characterizes the mechanical interaction between user and acoustic instrument. We were asked to design a haptic feedback system for an electronic keyboard that can produce a programmable touch response, ranging from a synthesizer to a grand piano. We decided to use an eddy current braking system in order to accomplish this goal. The advantage of using such a system is that it allows for the production of a programmable force by the addition of inertia to the system without any additional weight on the key.