with this in mind, on the higher tech side, i might suggest sonar, which can be done with several sonar transmitters and one receiver connected to a 96 KHz sound card, or motion tracking, which can be done with a cheap USB webcam connected to any computer. Johannes Taelman uses a LinuXBox [cost +/- 200 EUR] and PDP to do the job. nice solution, espc for installations. see: http://allserv.ugent.be/~jtaelman/ for a comprehensive overview of various sensor solutions, including the ones i just mentioned.
on the lowest tech possibly side, i would point out that simple triggers, such as buttons, floorplates etc, and also some kind of variable control [xy, in this case] should be quite riggable by dissecting an old joystick and using its components, coupled with whatever joystick object there is in PD [can't recall exact name...].
d.
0 wrote:
I'm mainly wanting passive sensors, ie. ones that nobody has to wear. But most likely I'll start building things like weight plates for the floor -- probably pretty simple -- and moving from there. Troika Ranch (www.troikaranch.org) uses some sensor that works by a dancer bending it with their arms and legs. That's a bit less passive than I had in mind for my primary interest, but probably is more powerful. Mainly, any sensors that will allow other people to interact with an installation in an informal (not mouse/keyboard/monitor) manner.
-i