Ping-Pong: Musically Discovering Locations

A recently developed system that uses pitched sounds to discover relative 3D positions of a group of devices located in the same physical space is described. The measurements are coordinated over an IP network in a decentralized manner, while the actual measurements are carried out measuring the time-of-flight of the notes played by different devices. Approaches to sonify the discovery process are discussed. A specific instantiation of the system is described in detail. The melody is specified in the form of a score, available to every device in the network. The system performs the melody by playing different notes consecutively on different devices, keeping a consistent timing, while carrying out the inter-device measurements necessary to discover the geometrical configuration of the devices in the physical space.