Wireless Audience Response Systems?

kjeldahl asks: "I've got some project ideas involving what I have learned are named audience response systems. These are small devices (typically a small keyboard with a few buttons) that can be handed out to an audience where they can participate in some kind of 'voting' or selection process where they press some buttons and their selections are recorded by a central server. Looking further, the wireless options include RF and IR, although IR senders typically conflict with eachother in environments with lots of people pushing buttons simultaneously. To be useful, one typically needs to be able to know the various devices apart (device X sent keypress Y). Some of the more advanced devices even include two-way communication with display abilities. Anyway, these devices seem very specialized and kind of tied to the platform (including hardware and software) - in effect quite expensive. Does anyone know of open audience response systems which use well-known technologies which can be adapted for use for audience response systems? I would guess the candidates include wireless keyboards (assuming they do not conflict with eachother), Bluetooth and WLAN-based systems."

Comments

It's been done...

[El]

It's called "applause". If you don't hear any, then the show sucks...

i use the following system

[Anonymous Coward]

I call it "public entertainment-induced manual impact resonance" or "PEIMIR".

The PEIMIR system is based on the simple fact that striking two surfaces together makes an audible mechanical wave (a "sound", if you will).

Now, what use is this you say? Well, it turns out that the human body itself has two surfaces useful for this purpose: the palms of the hands!

With minor training at the beginning of your show or talk, you can teach your participants this simple technique. At first they may not be willing, but I've found running a lottery with a small prize of $5-$10 is sufficient inducement.

Then throughout your talk, you can use the relative intensity of the PEIMER mechanical waves (the "volume" if you will, though that term is abiguous) to gauge the success of your talk.

here's a tip I've learned in my "PEIMER adventures": sometimes high-intensity PEIMER waves don't always mean success: for instance if you here NONE throughout your talk, and then you hear it with high-intensity at the conclusion of your talk, that means they are pleased you are leaving.. so your talk was bad! It took me a while to figure this out but it was quite an eye-opener when I did!

Good luck! My PEIMER system is patent-pending but I do allow non-commercial use for free! Contact me for details at my slash dot address.

A. Coward
PEIMER facilitation specialist
the PEIMER foundation

Simple solution, brought to you by MadScience(TM)

[ArmorFiend]

Simply shrink each and every audience member to be the size of a nickel, then have up to 104 of them stand on your keyboard. If they like something, have them jump, thus depressing their key.