This wearable device turns ’twerking’ into its own instrument

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Now this is a project Sir Mix-A-Lot will surely like. 

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The Booty Drum is a high-tech musical device that, unlike most instruments, isn’t operated by your hands, feet or head for that matter, but by your posterior. This idea is a collaboration between headphone brand AIAIAI, professional dancer Twerk Queen Louise, Branko from Portuguese electronic band Buraka Som Sistema and Dutch design company Owow.

Ever since ‘twerking’ was added to the Oxford Dictionary, this particular type of dancing has found itself smack dab in the middle of pop culture, from Miley Cyrus to Nicki Minaj to nightclubs everywhere. This body-adorned gadget — which is part of the aptly-named The Real Booty Music Project — works by recording dance motions through its built-in accelerometers. These movements are mapped into unique MIDI values through an Atmel based Arduino and processing software, then translated into sound samples. Each motion sends out a dynamic set of values, so a dancer is able to play around with beats.

Whether or not this device catches on, AIAIAI has set out to alter the perception of the provocative dance form by pairing it up with technology and aligning it with the innovative forces behind the music. Intrigued? Head over to the company’s official page to learn more, or watch it in action here. (We expect a high volume of clicks on this one!)