Zefiro is compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows devices. (Image credit: Artinoise)
An Italian startup has come up with a new portable device that can be plugged into the USB-C port of your smartphone to transform it into a musical device like a flute.
The smart device called Zefiro has been developed by Artinoise, which is the same company that took the plastic recorder instrument played by children in school and gave it a futuristic remake named “re.corder”.
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Zefiro is controlled through an app that gives users over 32 different sounds to choose from. With this device, users can plug and play their smartphone to emulate sounds from instruments such as flutes, saxophones, trumpets, bagpipes, and even violins.
The company launched a crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, November 11, to help with the launch of the product which is expected to be sold at 30 euros (Rs 2,600, approximately).
There is also a Zefiro Pro version that uses 3D MEMS Accelerometer to enhance sensitivity. (Image credit: Artinoise)
Artinoise said that it will begin shipping the patented Zefiro devices worldwide from January 2025.
How it works
The Zefiro instrument allows people with respiratory issues or limited lung capacity to play music by adjusting the threshold such that even a gentle blow can produce sounds.
The smart mouthpiece leverages the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) protocol to communicate with the connected device. Once it is plugged into a smartphone or tablet, the Zefiro app displays an interface with virtual keys or wind holes.
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The physical device has lip and air pressure sensors that recognises the MIDI input. When a user blows into Zefiro, the sensors capture the power of the breath and share it with the app which controls the volume and pitch.
The company describes the Zefiro app as the “control centre” that offers users a slew of additional features such as sound layering, looping, breathing exercises, recording and sharing audio clips, etc.
The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. However, its capabilities are only unlocked through the Zefiro device.
What next?
Artinoise is reportedly looking to launch new Zefiro features every two months. The company said it is working on a feature that lets users customise the display interface by uploading an image that makes it easier for them to choose which buttons or notes they want to play.
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“Maybe they can put the face of someone they know, the button on the eye, on the cheeks, mouth, or whatever, or invent some kind of different instrument, and putting down the notes that they want to play,” Artinoise founder and CTO Davide Mancini was quoted as saying by TechCrunch.
Artinoise also plans to give users a hands-free experience of Zefiro by selling a separate headpiece as an add-on.
The underlying technology behind Zefiro is open-source, which means that developers could build applications on top of it so that the device can be used, for instance, to turn off the lights.
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