Haptic Piano Key based on a Real-Time Multibody Model of the Double Escapement Grand Piano Action

Timmermans, Sébastien [UCL] Fisette, Paul [UCL] Ceulemans, Anne-Emmanuelle [UCL] Dehez, Bruno [UCL]

Touch in an acoustic grand piano is a critical sensory information which results from the high dynamics of the piano action. The tactile feedback allows the pianist to finely control his playing. Present-day digital instruments offer the possibility of nuancing the sound thanks to a limited key dynamics which attempt to imitate that of a traditional piano. However, the result is far from reproducing the fineness required by pianists. Our project aims at developing a haptic feedback force piano key for digital keyboards, based on real-time multibody models. We present here the dynamic model of the grand piano action developed previously in our lab that we improve in order to simulate it in a real-time process. Next a first haptic prototype of one key equipped with a linear voice coil actuator is described.