3D-printed prosthetics have been used to help humans and even birds regain mobility. Now, two students in Canada are using 3D-printed prosthetic pieces to play music.

CNET Australia reports that the two McGill University students pursuing Ph.D.s, Joseph Mallock and Ian Hattwick, created these prosthetic musical instruments at the university's Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL). As shown in the video above, dancers wear the prosthetic instruments and music plays when they touch the prosthetics or move their bodies.

The sensors and wireless data transceivers fuel these prosthetic musical instruments. When the dancers move or touch the instruments, data is sent to an open-source peer-to-peer software system, where it is synthesized into music.

These digital music instruments will be used in live performances of dance and music. The current versions of the prosthetics were part of a production called Les Gestes in Canada and Europe this year, according to CNET.

"We wanted to create objects that were beautiful, that were functional and that were believable as both instrument and as an extension of the performer's body," one of the creators said in a short documentary about the project.

What other creative uses of 3D printing have you seen? Share your findings in the comments.

Image: Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab (IDMIL) at McGill University via IDMIL YouTube video