What is Rhythm Walk
Designed for Public Spaces
RhythmWalk is an interactive floor experience that transforms everyday movement into sound. As people step, jump, or move across the surface, their actions trigger responsive soundscapes, creating a playful, shared musical experience. Built with recycled and sustainable materials and low-energy systems. Supported by Innovate UK, Create Growth Programme Competition 4: Small Projects. Designed by Makers of Imaginary Worlds for public spaces, shopping centres, cultural venues, festivals, and community environments, RhythmWalk invites people of all ages to explore, connect, and co-create through movement.
Hundreds of visitors have already experienced RhythmWalk at Swansgate Shopping Centre, Wellingborough, and Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Banbury, during spring 2026. Visitors of all ages stepped, moved, and played together, transforming everyday shopping environments into vibrant, interactive sound experiences.
How it works
RhythmWalk uses a system of responsive floor tiles embedded with sensors. Each step activates sound, allowing users to create rhythms, patterns, and collaborative soundscapes in real time.
The system is flexible and can be configured to suit different spaces, from small interactive zones to large-scale installations.
Our Approach
RhythmWalk is developed by Makers of Imaginary Worlds, in collaboration with Design Matter at Nottingham Trent University, Mixed Reality Lab at University of Nottingham , Creative Technologist, Matthew Little and Future Makers combining creative practice with product innovation, sustainability and technology.
Love it, and the kids as well, so much fun and relaxing at the same time.
Visitor, Swansgate Shopping Centre, Wellingborough
Why RhythmWalk?
In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, creating experiential environments is key to attracting and retaining visitors.
RhythmWalk helps shopping centres:
- Increase dwell time by encouraging visitors to pause and engage
- Boost footfall attraction with a unique, visible, and shareable experience
- Enhance customer experience through playful, inclusive interaction
- Support placemaking strategies and community engagement
- Generate social media content through highly visual, interactive moments
In public spaces, sound can influence movement, behaviour, and memory. Gentle rhythmic audio can slow people down, encourage exploration, and create moments of calm within busy urban environments. Interactive sound also transforms passive spaces into participatory experiences, where people become aware of how their own movements contribute to the atmosphere around them. This creates a stronger sense of belonging and interaction between people and place.
By combining movement with responsive sound, RythumWalk encourages multisensory interaction and reimagines public space as something dynamic, immersive, and collaborative.
Commercial Opportunities
RhythmWalk can be deployed as:
- Seasonal activations (e.g. holidays, events, campaigns)
- Brand collaborations and sponsorships
- Permanent or semi-permanent installations
- Pop-up experiential zones within retail environments
Optional data insights provide:
- Visitor engagement metrics
- Interaction duration (dwell time)
- Usage patterns to support reporting and ROI