Accessible music tech in 2026: AI sketches, cheap gamepads and the disabled musicians setting the brief
Two NIME 2026 papers and Berklee's ABLE Assembly show where accessible instrument design is heading. Generative AI helped a disabled co-designer sketch a bespoke instrument but failed at physical fit, while a kit built from a generic gamepad, 3D prints and an old Android phone cost about INR 3,600 in rural India.
Industryvia NIME 2026 Proceedings (Aynsley, Barker, Warner, Meckin, Mitchell)