Contribution of electronics to gestural interaction: applications to live performance and digital lutherie

Emmanuel Fléty is an electronics engineer at Ircam - UMR STMS 9912, where he is head of the Engineering and Prototyping Department. He develops embedded electronic systems for gesture-based interaction applied to scientific experimentation and live performance.
He will present his thesis entitled “Contributions of electronics for gestural interaction: application to live performance and digital lutherie”, completed at the CNAM's Doctoral School of Science and Engineering (SMI).


The jury will be composed of:
- Hmaied SHAIEK, Professor, CEDRIC, CNAM (France) Director
- Marcelo WANDERLEY, Professor, Université de McGill (Canada) Reviewer
- Sotiris MANITSARIS, Professor, Mines Paris – PSL (France) Reviewer
- Myriam DESAINTE-CATHERINE, Professor, LaBRI (France) Examiner
- Mari KIMURA, CEO, KIMARI LLC (USA) Examiner
- Didier LE RUYET, Professor, CEDRIC, CNAM (France) Examiner
- Lounis ZERIOUL, Assistant Professor, CEDRIC, CNAM (France) Invited
- Frédéric BEVILACQUA, Director of Research IRCAM, UMR 9912 STMS (France) Invited


Abstract:
This thesis is a synthesis of 25 years of study and research on three main themes: embedded electronics, gesture capture and interaction, and digital instrument making. It describes in particular their specific applications in live performance, in music, but also in dance and theater, where music is often present. The devices, tools, and developments are presented with a dual objective: on the one hand, to show that their technical design, specifically adapted to mixed music and the performing arts, contributes to the artist's creative act. On the other hand, to propose solutions that reduce the critical aspects of instrumental latency in digital music controllers and instruments.
This work was carried out on wired and wireless gesture sensor digitization devices in the form of interfaces or modules. They are made generic and scalable through configuration or programming systems, offering users the possibility of adapting the tool to their uses.
They also illustrate how my personal contributions find application in scientific and artistic projects integrating other themes such as health and sport, and are therefore developing within a rich and transdisciplinary research framework. The result is a set of tools that are homogeneous and interoperable with the computer-assisted music ecosystem, while ensuring that the musical intention and strict constraints of the performer are respected.