Mugo

The Mugo: Gesture-Controlled Musical Inclusion Device
The Mugo is a revolutionary, affordable musical instrument that converts simple movements into MIDI signals, enabling children and young people with physical disabilities to create and perform music. Designed as a small, portable device with an invisible motion-sensing beam, the Mugo responds to minimal movements – even a finger gesture or blink – allowing users with severe physical limitations to engage in music-making for the first time.
Unlike existing expensive assistive music technology (like Soundbeam at £2,500+), the Mugo is designed to be significantly more affordable and specifically created for non-music specialists to use. The device comes with structured educational resources based on the Sounds of Intent musical development framework, making it accessible to teachers, caregivers, and families without specialized musical training.
The Mugo addresses a critical gap in musical inclusion, serving the 65,000+ UK pupils with physical disabilities who are often excluded from traditional music education. By interfacing naturally with digital music software that able-bodied young people use, the Mugo promotes both musical and social inclusion through shared musical experiences.
Developed through collaboration between The Amber Trust (UK’s only national charity for vision-impaired children’s musical development), the University of Roehampton, and instrument developer Gawain Hewitt, the Mugo represents a breakthrough in making music creation truly accessible, affordable, and developmentally appropriate for disabled young people.
The device supports users’ individual musical journeys and preferences rather than prescribing limited musical options, allowing young people to program and perform the music of their choosing across any genre or style.

How the Mugo is Innovative:
Revolutionary Accessibility Design
The Mugo breaks new ground by responding to the most minimal physical movements – even a single finger gesture or eye blink can trigger musical creation. This ultra-low barrier to entry opens music-making to individuals with severe physical limitations who were previously excluded from traditional instruments and even most assistive music technology.
Democratized Cost Structure
While existing assistive music devices like Soundbeam cost over £2,500, the Mugo is designed for mass affordability, making professional-quality gesture-controlled music creation accessible to families, schools, and community organizations for the first time.
User-Driven Musical Agency
Unlike prescriptive assistive technologies that limit users to pre-programmed sounds, the Mugo is completely music-style agnostic. Users can program any genre or musical content of their choosing, giving disabled young people the same musical autonomy as their non-disabled peers.
Non-Specialist Integration
The Mugo’s accompanying educational framework enables teachers, caregivers, and families without musical training to facilitate meaningful music education. This removes the specialist knowledge barrier that has historically limited access to assistive music technology.
Inclusive Design Philosophy
Rather than creating separate “disabled” musical experiences, the Mugo interfaces seamlessly with mainstream digital music software, enabling disabled users to participate in the same musical ecosystems as able-bodied musicians – promoting true social and musical inclusion.
Evidence-Based Development
The device emerged from direct consultation with disabled young people through research commissioned by The Amber Trust, specifically the 2019 study “The potential role of music to enhance the lives of children and young people with Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (Batten disease)” https://withmusicinmind.ambertrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Amber-Trust-Report-2019-FINAL.pdf. Young people with Batten’s disease articulated their need to “make music without having to be particularly physically dexterous,” ensuring the innovation addresses real user needs rather than assumed requirements.

The Most Inspiring Use of the Mugo:
Breaking Musical Silence for the First Time
The most inspiring use of the Mugo is witnessing children who have never been able to make music suddenly discover their musical voice through the smallest possible movement. Imagine a young person with severe physical disabilities who can only move a single finger or blink their eyes – traditionally excluded from every form of musical participation – suddenly able to create melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that express their inner musical imagination.
From Isolation to Musical Community
What transforms this from simply assistive technology to something truly inspiring is how the Mugo enables these young people to make music alongside their friends and peers. Rather than being observers in musical activities, they become active participants and collaborators. The device’s ability to interface with mainstream music software means disabled young people can contribute to the same musical experiences their non-disabled peers enjoy – whether that’s creating hip-hop beats, playing along to pop songs, or composing original pieces.
Musical Identity and Self-Expression
Perhaps most powerfully, the Mugo allows young people to express their authentic musical tastes and cultural identity. A teenager from a minority ethnic background with physical disabilities can now access and create the music that speaks to their heritage and personal preferences, rather than being limited to whatever sounds an expensive specialist device happened to include. This represents not just musical inclusion, but cultural and personal empowerment.