Gestural musical gloves now available to pre-order
Gestural musical gloves, technology originally developed at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) by Dr Tom Mitchell, are now available for pre-order through a company called MI.MU. The gloves use motion capture and AI to enable wearers to create music with their movements.
The technology, which has been developed in partnership with Grammy Award-winning musician Imogen Heap, has already produced a small run of bespoke and handmade gloves for a select few musicians.
The product's commercialisation now means that the gloves are half their original price and currently cost £2,500 a pair. They have been designed according to the needs of musical artists and contain enhanced build quality and gesture control, improved electronics, and faster wireless communication.
In 2014, Ms Heap founded MI.MU, a partnership with UWE Bristol that also comprises fashion designer Rachel Freire, E-textiles designer Hannah Perner-Wilson, electronic engineer Sebastian Madgwick, scientist and musician Kelly Snook, musician and UX designer Chagall van den Berg, as well as Managing Director Adam Stark.
It was then made available to the public and saw the growth of a burgeoning community of performers making use of the gloves' potential - from classical pianists, to film composers, beatboxers, and pop stars including Ariana Grande, who used the gloves on her 2015 'Honeymoon' world tour.
Since 2014, Dr Mitchell and colleagues have refined the technology, streamlining designs with initial support from private investors and a range of academic and enterprise support including the EU Commission and Innovate UK.
Dr Mitchell said: "It's exciting that we have managed to get to a point where the gloves will soon be available to all musicians. The gloves bring a new creative dimension to music performance, enabling musicians to create the movements that perform their music. I can't wait to see what people will do with the technology."
Imogen Heap, who uses the gloves as part of her performances, said: "So happy that we are finally able to extend the incredible superhuman feeling of having music in our hands out to a wider audience. You just have to remember to open your eyes during a performance, as it becomes so second nature!"
Adam Stark, Managing Director of MI.MU, said: "We are hugely proud to release the MI-MU gloves to musicians everywhere, and we can't wait to see what they do with them.
"They are the result of years of research and development into new ways to compose and perform music. We believe they will enable musicians to discover new forms of expression, leading to new ideas, new performances and, ultimately, new forms of music."
Related news
17 April 2025
UWE Bristol art students showcase work at Spike Island Open Studios
Spike Island – the home to UWE Bristol’s BA and MA Fine Art courses - opens its doors for the annual Open Studios on 2 May.
16 April 2025
More than 80 UK projects receive nearly £1.2 million in first Immersive Arts funding round
Almost £1.2 million has been allocated to 83 artist-led projects across the UK.
09 April 2025
UWE Bristol academics shaping the future of design across disciplines
Three senior leaders from the College of Arts, Technology and Environment have been appointed to prominent national roles in architecture, art and design.
04 April 2025
New partnership between UWE Bristol and Bristol Creative Industries will develop student talent network
UWE Bristol and Bristol Creative Industries (BCI) have formed a new partnership to support Bristol’s thriving creative businesses and provide enhanced careers opportunities to students entering the industry.
03 April 2025
Interdisciplinary studio bridging the gap between creative industries and technology opens at UWE Bristol
A new £3.6m laboratory has opened at UWE Bristol which will provide a unique arts, humanities and technologies multi-disciplinary space for researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses across the West of England.
07 March 2025
UWE Bristol and Ashton Park School transform urban landscape near university campus
Students bring creativity and a splash of colour to a well-used city underpass by painting a new mural celebrating diversity and inclusivity.
07 March 2025
UWE Bristol students triumph at regional RTS Awards
UWE Bristol filmmaking and animation students won three categories of the RTS West of England Student Awards, held at Watershed in Bristol on 3 March 2025.
03 February 2025
Exhibition celebrates inaugural year of students’ creative agency
Students from UWE Bristol’s New Wave Creative Agency will showcase their work at an exhibition at Arnolfini from 8 February.
22 January 2025
Talent collaboration programme UWE Futures expands to support diversity in Bristol's legal and creative sectors
UWE Bristol's talent programme, UWE Futures, which offers paid work experience to global majority students, has expanded in its second year to include more legal firms and a leading organisation in Bristol’s creative sector.
07 January 2025
Assistant Vice-Chancellor selected to join Creative Industries Taskforce
Assistant Vice-Chancellor Lynn Barlow has become part of a new taskforce to help deliver a plan to grow the UK’s creative industries.
10 December 2024
UWE Bristol wins TIGA Games Industry Award
UWE Bristol has won an award for Best Education Initiative at the 2024 TIGA Games Industry Awards.
09 December 2024
UWE Bristol architecture students return from ‘once in a lifetime’ bamboo pavilion build in Ethiopia
UWE Bristol architecture students travelled to Ethiopia where they designed and constructed a large-scale bamboo pavilion in a park close to the capital city.