If you've ever wanted to learn to play an instrument but just never got around to it for whatever reason (money, time, patience), the Playable Jell-O Piano is the perfect piece for you.
Created by Ranjit Bhatnagar, Astrida Valijorsky, Mimi Hui and Catarina Mota of NYC Resistor, a "hacker collective [that] meet[s] regularly to share knowledge, hack on projects together, and build community," this wacky food invention is exactly what it sounds like: a piano made out of Jell-O that you can play. Sounds awesome, right? That's because it is.
Called The Resistor Jeltone, this cool playable item won the prize for "Most Creative Invention" at the 2011 Cooper-Hewitt Design Scholars/Jell-O Mold Workshop on June 25th, 2011.
After the playable Jell-O piano melted (it is the middle of summer, after all), it was recreated using fruit salad.
A treat for the eyes, ears and stomach? That's a win-win situation if I've ever heard of one.
Jiving Jelly Instruments
Bust a Move With the Playable Jell-O Piano
Trend Themes
1. Playable-food Instruments - The trend of creating playable instruments out of food presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the culinary industry in terms of immersive dining experiences and food-based entertainment.
2. Creative Food Inventions - The trend of inventing creative food-based items like the Jell-O piano opens up potential disruptive innovations for the novelty gift industry, offering unique and out-of-the-box products.
3. Hackerspaces and Collaboration - The trend of hackerspaces and collaborative environments, as seen through NYC Resistor, provides disruptive innovation opportunities for technology and creative industries by fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations and knowledge sharing.
Industry Implications
1. Culinary - The culinary industry can explore disruptive innovations by incorporating playable-food instruments into their dining experiences to create interactive and multisensory meals.
2. Novelty Gifts - The novelty gift industry has the potential to leverage creative food inventions like the Jell-O piano to offer unique and unconventional gifts that stand out in the market.
3. Technology - The technology industry can benefit from the disruptive innovation opportunities presented by hackerspaces and collaborative environments, fostering cross-disciplinary projects and advancing technological advancements.