MIDI-Driven Animation
Source: www.animusic.com

Animusic produces innovative music animation by leveraging MIDI data in creating "virtual concerts". The animation of graphical instrument elements is generated using proprietary software called MIDImotionTM. The technique is analytical, note-based, and involves a pre-process (as opposed to being reactive, sound-based, and real-time). Read our interview with Animusic developer Wayne Lytle.

Free MIDI Game
Source: Synthesia

Synthesia is a game that teaches you to play the piano using falling notes. No sheet music reading is required. With it, you can: Learn to play songs using a musical keyboard connected to your computer; Keep track of your progress in every song with per-song scoreboards; Slow, fast-forward, and rewind songs while learning new parts; Practice left and right hand parts together or separately. Try out any MIDI file you can find on the Internet. Use it on either your PC or Mac. 

MIDI Sequencing with Hamster Control
Source: Cornell University

This project was initially fueled by the desire to explore the MIDI protocol. It was decided that this would be accomplished by building a MIDI device. An intelligent MIDI sequencer was designed with hamster control. The MIDI sequencer intelligently produced melodies by manipulating the musical elements of rhythm and note-choice. Guided by inputs based on hamster movements...

Motion Capture MIDI Controller
Source: www.sonalog.com

The GypsyMIDI is a unique performance instrument for motion-capture midi control... The suit is modeled on the human skeletal form using rotational sensors placed on the joints. The GypsyMIDI simply plugs into a MIDI interface and arm movements are converted into a real-time stream of MIDI data. The mapping interface eXo-software allows the user to define how the movements are translated into MIDI control, including the ability to trigger notes, generate continuous control commands or even play scales.

Sofa as MIDI controller
Source: Music Thing Blog Spot

A German designer calling himself Seppoman has built a MIDI control system into a sofa. If two people are sitting down, they can output three control values each - left and right buttock weight and how far the person is leaning back.

Peter Jackson's $100,000 Ragtime MIDI Band
Source: Music Thing Blog Spot

The $99,975 LB-BGJ from Ragtime Automated Music is a cabinet containing a robotically controlled acoustic band. A touch-screen interface controls the whole works, sending MIDI signals to the mechanical elements that play the full drum kit, piano, accordion, guitar, banjo, electric bass, and 24 organ pipes.

MIDI Gamma Ray Spectrometer
Source: www.kosmophone.com

The Kosmophone is a gamma-ray spectrometer operating in the range of about 3 to 7 million electron-volts (MeV) controlling a MIDI music synthesizer. This octave of the electromagnetic spectrum, about a million times higher frequency than the octave our eyes respond to, contains very little energy that originates in our solar system. Almost all of the energy in this band is a result of unbelievably energetic radiation coming from the far reaches of the universe, 'Cosmic Rays'.

MIDI Van de Graaff Generator
Source: www.boston.com

The towering Van de Graaff electric generator in the Theatre of Electricity of the Museum of Science throws off some serious sparks -- about 1.5 million volts' worth, we're told. Little did we know that it also can be manipulated to make music. In ''Zap!," composer Christine Southworth and robotics engineer Leila Hasan, alumnae of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, use the Van de Graaff to add sparks and static to an hour-long concert with eight other musicians. Southworth composed the music; Hasan controls the generator with a laser-theremin MIDI controller. More info at web.mit.edu.

MIDI Ladder
Source: www.tonleiter.com

The ToneLadder. If a household ladder is extended with a melodic function, it will develop into a real musical instrument. The ordinary ladder transforms into a soundladder. Stepping on a bar of the ladder creates a sound or tone which is different from rung to rung. So you can create a piece of music by stepping up and down on the ladder. Together with a partner you can even play a duet.