Imogen Heap Takes High-Tech Musical Glove to Kickstarter

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By Alex Magdaleno2014-04-11 08:52:23 UTC

In 2011, Grammy Award-winning musician Imogen Heap demonstrated a pair of gloves that could make music with hand gestures during a TED talk in Edinburgh.

After almost four years of development in which Heap worked with a team of engineers, scientists, artists and designers, the pair of high-tech, musical gloves — now called Mi.Mu — has entered the crowdfunding stage with a Kickstarter campaign.

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Mi.Mu can track the orientation and posture of your hand as well as the bending of your fingers. Mi.Mu uses a number of sensors along the fingers and a wireless board fitted with a gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer to record the various movements and sends signals that correspond to different sounds and musical effects to your music software of choice.

"Not only is this much more intuitive, it is also more enjoyable to watch, making it easier for your audience to connect with what you're doing," Heap's team wrote on the Kickstarter page. "Our aim is to break down the barriers between musicians and machines, and between performers and audiences. "

Based on original research from the University of the West of England, Heap and her team initiated and drove the creation of the Mi.Mu gloves. After years of research and development, which included simplifying the design and the technology into a more user-friendly and wirelessly-connected version, the team completed its current prototype.

The Mi.Mu Kickstarter campaign has 25 days left; so far it has raised more than $87,000 of its $335,000 goal. Though the current prototype is available for purchase by donating to the campaign, it comes with a heavy price tag. Backers need to donate $2,000 to the campaign to receive a single Mi.Mu glove; if they donate $4,000, they will receive the pair.

Here you can watch Heap perform her new song, "Me The Machine," with the Mi.Mu glove:

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Topics: crowdfunding, Gadgets, gloves, imogen heap, kickstarter, Music, Tech