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= Digital Baton = Developed in 1996 by Brain Opera Productions, an MIT media lab, the Digital Baton combines previous technologies to create an electronic instrument. The device uses both an infrared LED and a three-axis accelerometer array to detect small and large movements of the conductor. A software system plays back a musical result through MIDI sounds, creating a virtual ensemble. Scores can be computer-generated as new music is created.

Daton
Developed by Max Mathews, this device used a plate to respond to the force of a strike, which was measured by pressure sensors. It was, in essence, more of a digital drumstick than a baton.

Radio Baton
Max Mathews and his colleague Bob Bowie developed the Radio Baton in 1987, which used two batons. Each baton contained FM radio transmitters, which interacted with a sensitive platform to determine the three-dimensional position of the batons. This technology was similar to the Theremin in that there were two sensory batons, although the Theremin worked only in horizontal and vertical planes whereas the Radio Baton used all three x, y, and z planes.

Lightning and other Infrared LED Batons
All infrared LED batons use an infrared LED located at the tip of the baton which measures its horizontal and vertical positions. Of the various types of these batons, the Lightning is perhaps the most well-known. Developed in the early 1990s by Donald Buchla, several models have since been produced. The most recent, the Lightning III, can sense the full three-dimensional position of the baton rather than the previous two-dimensions. Its MIDI output corresponds to the baton's motions and can be uploaded using a variety of presets to form a conceptual ensemble. The Lightning III sells for about two thousand dollars.

MIDI Batons
MIDI Batons also use three-dimensional sensors, located in accelerometer arrays which detect the direction of the conductor's movements and beat patterns.

Music
The variety of musical sounds available for use with the Digital Baton is vast and far-reaching. From traditional orchestral instruments and choral voices to more obscure instruments and sound effects, the Digital Baton system offers a wide assortment of musical options. Pieces have been specifically composed for the Digital Baton, and computer-generated scores have been created for their notation.

Teresa Marrin
Teresa Marrin, a graduate student at MIT who helped develop the Digital Baton, also wrote her thesis about the device and its applications. Titled Toward an Understanding of Musical Gesture: Mapping Expressive Intention with the Digital Baton, the paper discusses the use of the Digital Baton in studying conductors' free-form motions and analyzing the "gestural language of conducting." Future applications of this technology include teaching conducting students, studying the movements and gestures of famous conductors, and perhaps even commercially introducing a home entertainment conducting system. Analysis of other motion-based languages is also possible with this technology, although maybe not in the existing baton format. American Sign Language, dance, mime, and martial arts could all benefit from technological advancements in motion study.

The future of digital music
While some worry that electronic instruments are rapidly replacing traditional musical instruments, this is not the case. Electronic music is often used in conjunction with traditional music in order to create even more possibilities. As technology continues to advance, the sampling techniques used to acquire electronic audio increasingly enable more realistic electronic depictions. This allows even further combination of traditional and electronic mediums. Rather than viewing electronic music as a threat to traditional forms, it should be seen as a platform for expanding the existing musical dimensions.