Walking and gesture become the primary musical input.
Interactive musical footwear · 2015
Sound Steps
A pair of multi-technology shoes that turns walking, gesture and foot movement into sound and music.
Read the project ↓
Project typeArtwork · Tool / prototype · Collaboration · Fashiontech
ThemesEmbodied & haptic interaction · Wearables & e-textiles
FormInteractive musical footwear
Developed2015
TechnologyRaspberry Pi + Android
CollaborationPOPKALAB × Phonotonic × Stéphane Gontard
01 · Proposition
Every step becomes a musical gesture
Sound Steps transforms the wearer’s movement into music, placing a responsive instrument directly under the body.
Motion-sensing technology inside the footwear follows the movement of each foot and translates it into sound. Speakers integrated into the shoes keep the response close to the action, so walking, shifting weight and gesturing become immediately audible.
An Android application lets the wearer change sounds, adjust volume and tune movement sensitivity. The technical system was deliberately compacted to fit the shoe: the Raspberry Pi boards were flattened by replacing their larger Ethernet and USB connectors with low-profile connections. The result is both an expressive wearable and a platform for exploring music through everyday movement.
Video documentation
See movement become music
02 · Experience
Move, translate, compose
- 01
Move
Sensors follow the motion and orientation of the wearer’s feet as they walk, shift and gesture.
- 02
Translate
The embedded system maps those movements to selectable sounds and responds with adjustable sensitivity.
- 03
Compose
Speakers in the shoes make the result audible at the body, turning locomotion into a live performance.
03 · Reflection
The body learns music by moving
Sound Steps removes the distance between playing an instrument and moving through the world.
The project reframes musical control as an embodied relation rather than a sequence of button presses. Because sound follows the feet, rhythm is encountered through balance, weight and gesture. The configurable mappings leave space for different bodies and styles of movement, while the self-contained speakers make the instrument social and visible: music travels with the wearer instead of remaining fixed to a stage or screen.
An Android app controls sounds, volume and movement sensitivity.
Speakers built into the footwear keep sound physically connected to each step.
Exhibition history
Selected presentations
Music Tech Fest Berlin
Funkhaus Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Credits & archive
Project record
- Project
- POPKALAB in collaboration with Phonotonic and Stéphane Gontard
- Creative technology
- Ricardo O’Nascimento and Erik Overmeire
- Support
- WORTH Project
