Shannon Ha – Looking Outwards – 10

The mi.mu gloves can be defined as a wearable musical instrument for expressive creation, composition, and performance. These gloves were the creation of music composer and songwriter Imogen Heap, who wrote the musical score for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Her aim in creating these gloves is to push innovation and share resources. She believes that these gloves will allow musicians and performers to better engage fans with more dynamic and visual performances, simplify the hardware that controls music (laptops, keyboards, controllers) and connect movement with sound.

The flex sensors are embedded in the gloves which measure the bend of the fingers, the IMU measures the orientation of the wrist. All the information received by these sensors is communicated over wifi. There is also a vibration motor implemented for haptic feedback. With the glove comes software that allows the user to program movements to coordinate with different sounds. Movements can be coordinated with MIDI and OSC.

I believe this piece of technology really pushes the boundaries of computational music as it allows musicians to have complete agency over electronically generated sounds through curated body movement without having to control sounds through a stationary piece of hardware. Performers, in particular, could benefit heavily from these gloves as their artistry moves beyond music and into how body language is incorporated with sound.  As a designer, I personally admire how she was able to use advanced technology to create these novel experiences not only for the performer but also for the audience. There are instances where the use of technology can hinder artistry especially when it is overused, but I think these gloves allow musicians to connect more with the music and how it’s being presented to the audience.