Scientists at the CSIRO‘s Textile and Fibre Technology division in Australia have woven electronic sensors into a T-shirt (the WIS – the Wearable Instrument Shirt) so that it can be played liked a real guitar.

Movements by the wearer’s arms are mapped and beamed by radio to a computer which interprets them and turns them into musical notes.

“The left arm chooses a note and the right arm plays it,” said Richard Helmer, at CSIRO. The arrangement can be reversed for left-handed musicians. “You can play with yours hands above your head,” added Dr Helmer. “You can turn around and jump. Whatever you like.”

Video of the shirt + tambourine and guiro versions of the shirt.

Via SMH.

Similar but with added orange gloves: The Virtual Air Guitar. Also Facial Control for Electric Guitar; GuitarBot, a self-playing guitar; Bangarama to play guitar just by banging your head up and down.