From UNSW:
Violinist and industrial designer Tricia Ho is drawing plaudits for her ergonomically designed violin that takes the pain out of playing the bowed string instrument.
Ms Ho, who has just completed a Bachelor of Industrial Design at the University of New South Wales, designed her idea of the “perfect electric violin” using high-tech materials for her final year design project.
Dubbed “EV” (for ergonomic violin), the prototypic instrument is to receive a German design award and is short-listed for this year’s Australian Design Awards, to be announced in May.
Made from a combination of carbon fibre and a high-tech “shape memory polymer”, Ms Ho designed EV so that it could be literally moulded to suit a player’s personality and physique. The instrument’s rigid carbon fibre body couples to a range of flexible polymer frames. These interchangeable frames include a self-supporting option so that a player doesn’t need to grip the instrument under the chin while playing.
More here.