Watch This Wearable Music Controller Jacket in Action

We’ve seen drum machines and MIDI controllers come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve even come across gloves (thanks to Imogen Heap and many others) which can control and trigger drum sounds and samples.

Fashoin designer, Ylenia Gortana, has taken the concept one step further with her ingenius “wearable music controller” jacket. From a brief interview she gave to techmog, Ylenia explains that the jacket is “built up in different layers of electronic textiles which are sectioned a matrix of 52 squared handmade push sensors.

“The sensors are connected with a laser cut copper fabric circuit on the lowest layer of the jacket. The circuit ends with two Arduino Lilypad boards which are connected to a bluetooth signal board which communicates with the computer.”

Check out the video below of Birman wearing and performing the music controller jacket:

SHOWPIECE from Ylenia Gortana on Vimeo.

By using an Arduino as the brain of this controller and conductive thread the concept can become a reality on a fairly modest budget.

The question now is whether we’ll want to play music by touching our jackets… or other people’s jackets and whether it’ll become socially acceptable to perform with other jacket-wearing musicians in everyday locations.

It certainly brings a new meaning to getting in touch with your own body.

Source: Vimeo

Via: techmog