invented by Bill Aitken around 1985, consists of a guitar like MIDI controller with the addition of right hand keys, a control console and a pedalboard...The SynthAxe strings are sensors. The fretboard uses a clever diagonal cut to separate each fret into six zones. The string/fret matrix is scanned by a microprocessor and combined with information from string bend sensors to determine the pitch of the note. The string bend sensors work by passing a current through each string and measuring the change of electromagnetic field using tiny, (and very delicate) coils.
Eigenharp (Eigenlabs, John Lambert)
from video : 132 sensitive keys (micron 7axis: pressure: vol, up/down:pitch, side to side: filter), strings, breathcontrol, g-force-sensor stripcontroler (pitch, filter/drumloop), 12 keys for drums, pedals for effects, voice-mic
buttons to change scales, patterns: stepsequencer, triggers soundfonts, pm-voicemodels,
Software written in a mixture of C++ and Python. midi/USB or Eigentalk, a new high performance protocol developed by Eigenlabs (open source). The API supports Eigenlabs equivalent of AU or VST plug-ins, hosted in the Eigenlabs software, EigenD. Although MIDI, AU and VST are not the native protocol and plug-ins, EigenD does support gateways for them.