BIONIC ARM GIVES DRUMMER THREE STICKS

Robotic prosthetics with soul

Robotics and rock and roll just seem to go together; we’ve covered a robotic rock band before, and drummer Jason Barnes is another great example of robotics working its way simultaneously into both prosthetics and music. Following amputation of his arm, with the help of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Gil Weinberg, Barnes received a prosthetic bionic arm with a third stick.

By incorporating electromyography sensors, the prosthetic reads Barnes’s muscle movement which moves one stick. The second follows along, listening in with a microphone and accelerometer, and creates a complementary beat.