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Compare up to 10 devices across categories. Keep the purpose and the source beside the numbers.

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Lowest recorded store prices take priority over announced or launch prices, within the selected source market. Currencies use the dated EUR reference rates. Deposits and recurring charges are excluded from price order; missing prices stay last. Original price records remain visible.

The differences that matter

Michel Waisvisz The Hands

Hand and arm gesture control of electronic music

Connection & compatibility
Sensor signals converted to MIDI musical control ↗

Keep in mind Photograph records the physical instrument at STEIM in2006; it is not presented as the original1984 revision.

BioControl BioMuse (1990 system)

Surface muscle signals as musical control input

Keep in mind Wearable electrodes and interface require the external rack processor; not a self-contained wearable.

Published specifications and documented constraints. See the full comparison below for prices and sources.

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Michel Waisvisz The Hands versus BioControl BioMuse (1990 system)
Music & creative wearablesAdd a model
Michel Waisvisz The Hands - The Hands at STEIM, 2006. Photo: Luka Ivanovic (lukatoyboy), CC BY-SA 2.0. Re-encoded as WebP; full photographic frame retained.
Music & creative wearables · Michel Waisvisz / STEIMMichel Waisvisz The HandsHistorical
BioControl BioMuse (1990 system) - Original BioMuse rack processor, cable and eight-channel belt breakout. Photograph published by performer Atau Tanaka in his firsthand hardware account.
Music & creative wearables · BioControl SystemsBioControl BioMuse (1990 system)Historical
Prices · all markets
Price not verified
0 offer records & sources

No verified price in this audit.

Price not verified
0 offer records & sources

No verified price in this audit.

Designed forHand and arm gesture control of electronic music ↗Surface muscle signals as musical control input ↗
Form factorPair of hand-strapped sensor/key controller frames ↗Arm/head electrode bands and belt breakout connected to an external processor ↗
Connection & compatibilitySensor signals converted to MIDI musical control ↗Not verified
First Public Use1984 ↗Not applicable to this category
Finger InputSmall key arrays for fingered musical control ↗Not applicable to this category
Pressure InputThumb pressure sensors ↗Not applicable to this category
OrientationTilt sensing ↗Not applicable to this category
Relative PositionDistance sensing between the two hands ↗Not applicable to this category
ConfigurationMultiple historical hardware revisions grouped; no uniform revision specifications claimed ↗Not applicable to this category
GenerationNot applicable to this categoryOriginal1990 system; later BioFlex hardware excluded from these specifications ↗
ChannelsNot applicable to this categoryEight EEG/EMG biosignal inputs ↗
ElectrodesNot applicable to this categoryMedical wet-gel electrode triplets at each channel ↗
Body InterfaceNot applicable to this categoryBands retain electrodes against the skin; belt-mounted breakout ↗
ProcessorNot applicable to this categoryExternal two-unit19-inch rack processor with Texas Instruments TMS320 DSP ↗
OutputNot applicable to this categoryUser-programmable MIDI event and control stream ↗
Performer ConfigurationNot applicable to this categoryAtau Tanaka describes four EMG channels in his original performance configuration ↗
AvailabilityHistorical custom instrument developed and rebuilt over multiple decades. No public complete-device purchase price verified.Historical commercially developed biosignal instrument with documented physical performer setups. No current stock or exact historical complete-system price verified.
Important context
  • Photograph records the physical instrument at STEIM in2006; it is not presented as the original1984 revision.
  • Original creator archive currently unreachable; accessible researcher and collaborator documentation retained.
  • Wearable electrodes and interface require the external rack processor; not a self-contained wearable.
  • Wet-gel electrodes differ from later dry-electrode BioFlex versions.
  • Musical control interface, not a diagnostic or clinical recommendation.
Editorial pick & releaseNo editorial ranking recordedNo editorial ranking recorded
EvidenceManufacturer source Checked 2026-10-13Manufacturer source Checked 2026-10-13

Battery claims use different conditions and are not a controlled benchmark. “Not verified” is an evidence gap, not a missing feature. Prices are dated regional snapshots. Deposits, bundles and historical launch prices are labelled. Brightness measurement methods and battery workloads vary by manufacturer.