Zefiro
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The Zefiro is a clever little MIDI controller that plugs into the USB-C port of your smartphone essentially turning it into a playable musical instrument.
Developed by Italian startup ARTinoise, the Zefiro is one of the most ingenious gadgets we’ve seen in quite a while. The small, colorful mouthpiece may look like a vape, but it’s actually a lot more than that. It’s a MIDI controller that plugs into your smartphone’s charge port and relies on an app to turn the handheld into a variety of playable instruments, from the humble flute, to violins and even fantasy sounds. Equipped with lip sensors and an air pressure sensor, the Zefiro sends breath power data directly to the dedicated app, which is then used to adjust the volume, length, and harmonics of the sound. Keys or air holes are displayed on the screen of the smartphone, so you can effectively play the instrument with your fingers, as you blow into the mouthpiece.
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It seems appropriate that the gadget shows up on a website named odditycentral. The concept is very interesting and related to some other wind-powered digital instruments that cost 100s of times more, but the implementation looks minimally functional. I'd have to classify it more as a novelty than a game-changer. Maybe it's a digital kazoo.
Big Al
