Maupe

2026

Maupe is an electronic musical instrument that gives people with cognitive and physical disabilities intuitive, non-verbal access to music through movement and sound. It opens up new ways of communicating, interacting, and experiencing music together.

https://showcase.tha.de/ia-ims/maupe

StudentS:

Serafin Bodendorf, Andreas Dimpfl, Zoe Finkenzeller, Felix Geiger, Daniel Kroul, Saskia Schleicher, Gabriel Seibold, Felix Tamm, Kevin Welz, Marcel Winatschek

Study Programm / Course:

Team project in Interactive Media

Lecturer:

Prof. Dr. Silvan Mertes
Prof. Andreas Muxel 

PartNers:

Irina Kuster, Caritasverband für die Diözese Augsburg e.V.
Wilhelm "Willi" Engel, Dominikus-Ringeisen-Werk Ursberg

For people with disabilities living in residential communities, shared experiences and social participation are an important part of everyday life. Verbal communication, however, can be limited. Music offers an alternative form of connection: it can evoke emotions directly and does not rely on language.

Developed in collaboration with Caritasverband für die Diözese Augsburg e. V. and Dominikus-Ringeisen-Werk in Ursberg, Maupe is an electronic musical instrument that responds to movement with sound.

In a series of workshops with residents of a care facility in Ursberg, we explored which movements felt intuitive and accessible. Three forms of interaction emerged that could be used by all participants: shaking, sliding, and twisting.

These interactions shaped Maupe’s physical design. The instrument consists of two cylindrical halves that can be pulled apart, rotated independently, and shaken together.

Built-in sensors capture these movements, while a Raspberry Pi translates them into sound in real time and plays it through an integrated speaker. Maupe’s head can be exchanged magnetically and contains an NFC chip linked to a specific sound set. Attaching a different head automatically changes the instrument’s sounds, with styles ranging from classical music and chiptune to blues.

Each head also features its own textile-printed eyes, giving Maupe a distinct character. An integrated rechargeable battery allows the instrument to be used completely wirelessly.