Mictic's Wearable IMUs Turn Your Movements, Gestures Into Music via Smartphone App or MIDI
Prototyped on mbientLab Bluetooth IMU technology, the Mictic wristbands look to turn making music into simply moving your arms.
Zurich-based Mictic is looking to change the way people create and interact with music, using a wearable wristband-like instrument dubbed the Mictic and designed to translate gestures and movements into sound in real-time.
"Mictic is the Swiss-made XR [cross reality] wearable that turns your movements into sound," Mershad Javan says of his company's product. "It doesn’t matter if you already have a Grammy or have never picked up a musical instrument, with Mictic you’ll be expressing yourself the minute you put the wristbands on and connect via Bluetooth."
"We’ve packed centuries of Swiss engineering into Mictic and brought it into the digital era. And are the first wearable device that is a true musical instrument and not just a controller for Midi or other interfaces. The wristbands use our patented technology to translate your arm movements into included instrument sounds like electric guitar, drums, cello, and genre-based soundscapes like EDM and hip-hop."
Each Mictic wristband includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) designed to track the wearer's movement and gestures. When paired with the Mictic app, running on a smartphone — Apple iOS at launch, with Android support to follow — and communicating with the wristband via Bluetooth Low Energy, the data gathered by the wearable is translated into musical tones or sound effects - no experience required. For more advanced users, the wristbands can also be used as a MIDI controller.
The company is currently working with prototype wristbands, based on mbientLab's popular nine-axis Bluetooth IMU module with 3D-printed housings. The production version, though, will be based on a custom PCB — though it's unlikely to differ much in specification from mbientLab's offering.
"Our mission is to give everyone the power to express themselves no matter what kind of music they enjoy, and whether they are already Grammy-winners, or have had no training at all," claims Javan. "Mictic can be used for any age range and you really don't have to be a musician to enjoy it."
The project is currently funding on Kickstarter with rewards starting at CHF 89 early-bird or CHF 99 post-early-bird (around $96 and $107 respectively) for a pair of Mictic wristbands, charging cables, and the iOS app. Delivery is expected to take place in August this year, all being well.