About · Edinburgh, Scotland
Who are we?
Playable Technology is an Edinburgh studio of creatives and developers building accessible music technology, from interactive installations to bespoke hardware, controllers and apps. We also help startups and established companies bring products to market, with strategy, product development, manufacturing and sourcing. We started the studio in 2020, continuing work we’d begun fifteen years earlier as the founding team of Skoogmusic.
Skoog began as a university research project in Edinburgh in 2006, a soft-touch instrument that let people of all abilities make music. It was commercialised in 2009 and retailed by Apple, and along the way we worked with partners including Sesame Workshop and the LEGO® Braille Programme.
The goal hasn’t changed: build technology that makes play more accessible, inclusive and fun.
What we’ve built
Since 2020
Our interactive installations have been played by over 200,000 visitors, at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in Berlin, Boston, Shanghai and Birmingham, at the Science Museum and the Science and Industry Museum, at the National Museum of Scotland, and at V&A Dundee.
Our BeatBlocks app turns LEGO bricks into a music sequencer and won Silver at the BIMA Awards. BrailleBlocks, in testing now, uses LEGO Braille Bricks to support Braille literacy.
And we still look after Skoog. When Skoogmusic went into receivership, we took the apps on to keep them working for the teachers, therapists and families who depend on them.
A small team
The team
Our academic backgrounds span physics, computer science, developmental psychology, music technology and sound design. Every one of us is a musician.
Awards & recognition
- BIMA Awards 2023Silver, Best Use of AI, for BeatBlocks
- UKRI Creative CatalystAward winner, 2024
- Guthman New Musical Instrument CompetitionFinalist, 2020, Georgia Tech listed Skoog 2.0 among ten instruments that change how you think about music
- Scottish Games Awards 2023Finalist, Pure Quality
- Design for All Foundation 2016Jury selection, special mention
How we work
We research. Academic backgrounds spanning science and the sonic arts, and we’re still actively engaged in research and feasibility studies. We hold several patents.
We collaborate. We work on an eclectic mix of internal and external projects, partnering with startups, arts organisations, creatives and businesses worldwide.
Our mission
We believe play is essential for creativity, learning and joy. Our mission is to innovate, develop and support technology that enables play in all its forms, for all ages, worldwide, and to make play more accessible, inclusive and fun.
Ben at TEDx
Rethinking our relationship with music, technology and play
FAQ
Common questions
- What does Playable Technology do?
- We build accessible music technology, from interactive installations to bespoke hardware, controllers and apps. We also help startups and established companies bring products to market, with strategy, product development, manufacturing and sourcing. We are based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Who made Skoog?
- Our team. We were the founding team of Skoogmusic, which created Skoog, a soft, accessible instrument retailed by Apple. When Skoogmusic closed we took on the Skoog and Skwitch apps and still maintain them today.
- What is BeatBlocks?
- BeatBlocks is our app that turns ordinary LEGO and building bricks into music using an iPhone or iPad. It won Silver at the 2023 BIMA Awards. BeatBlocks Live is the large-scale installation version, built for venues like the Science Museum and V&A Dundee.
- Where is Playable Technology based?
- Edinburgh, Scotland, at 27 Albert Street, EH7 5LH. We work with clients and venues worldwide.
Find us
Playable Technology Limited27 Albert Street, Edinburgh EH7 5LH, Scotland
hello@playable.tech · +44 (0) 131 554 2838