Wearables could redefine the creation of music and sound

imogen heap wearables gloves

Special high tech gloves could alter the way that the music industry functions in a fascinating way.

Motion technology has now been worked into a new form of wearables that can be used by musicians in order to be able to create the music that the wearer wishes.

These gloves are motion controlled and use wearable technology in a whole new way.

Wearables have been growing in popularity, forms, and uses, over the last short while. Among the most popular are smartwatches and activity trackers, but motion technology has expanded the potential for these mobile devices. Now, Imogen Heap hopes to be able to change the way that computers are used for making music by using high tech gloves with motion sensors.

These wearables are meant to eliminate the need to move a fader or click a mouse to create sounds.


Faders and mouse based controls don’t always provide musicians with the control that they truly want over the sounds that are being made. This British musician who is known for her eccentric, eclectic, and highly innovative sounds came up with the idea for the Mi.Mu glove after having seen a prototype for a type of device that would allow a person to use hand motions to “capture” sound. She saw the device while visiting the Media Lab at MIT in 2010.

Heap recognized that this wearable technology could have a significant impact on art such as music. The gloves can be used to create sound in a way that is considered to be much more visually engaging for an audience, but the purpose of this tech isn’t simply for performances. Instead, it can help to expand the experience of creating and developing the sounds, as well.

For instance, a child could be able to discover a musical instrument in a way that is exciting and unique. A person who is hearing impaired may be able to use these wearables to express gestures in the form of audible words so that they can use sign language in order to communicate with people who don’t understand that language, as they will be able to hear the words.

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