{"281111":{"#nid":"281111","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Robotic Prosthesis Turns Drummer into a Three-Armed Cyborg","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Gil Weinberg has already built a band of robotic musicians in his Georgia Tech lab. Now he\u2019s created a robot that can be attached to amputees, allowing its technology to be embedded into humans. The \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=io-jtlPv7y4\u0022\u003Erobotic drumming prosthesis\u003C\/a\u003E has motors that power two drumsticks. The first stick is controlled both physically by the musicians\u2019 arms and electronically using electromyography (EMG) muscle sensors. The other stick \u201clistens\u201d to the music being played and improvises. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe second drumstick has a mind of its own,\u201d said Weinberg, founding director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Center for Music Technology\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThe drummer essentially becomes a cyborg. It\u2019s interesting to see him playing and improvising with part of his arm that he doesn\u2019t totally control.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe prosthesis was created for Jason Barnes, a drummer who was electrocuted two years ago and lost his right arm below the elbow. The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media student built his own prosthetic device shortly after the accident. It wasn\u2019t very flexible. He could bang the drums by moving his elbow up and down, but couldn\u2019t control the speed or bounce of the stick without a wrist or fingers. That\u2019s when Weinberg stepped in to create a single-stick device with sensors that responds to Barnes\u2019 bicep muscles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNow I can flex and send signals to a computer that tightens or loosens the stick and controls the rebound,\u201d said Barnes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeinberg, who has already built a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/research-projects\/haile\u0022\u003Erobotic percussionist \u003C\/a\u003Eand \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/research-projects\/shimon\u0022\u003Emarimba player\u003C\/a\u003E that use computer algorithms to improvise with human musicians, took the prosthesis \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ntrlHw6f4E4\u0022\u003Ea step further\u003C\/a\u003E. He added the second stick and gave it a \u201cmusical brain.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cJason can pull the robotic stick away from the drum when he wants to be fully in control,\u201d says Weinberg. \u201cOr he can allow it to play on its own and be surprised and inspired by his own arm responding to his drumming.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegardless of how he uses the extra stick, the new prosthetic has already given Barnes capabilities he hasn\u2019t had since before the amputation. It\u2019s only the beginning for Weinberg. He\u2019s using a National Science Foundation grant (IIS- 1345006) to expand the technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMusic is very time sensitive. You can hear the difference between two strokes, even if they are a few milliseconds apart,\u201d said Weinberg. \u201cIf we are able to use machine learning from Jason\u2019s muscles (and in future steps, from his brain activity) to determine when he intends to drum and have the stick hit at that moment, both arms can be synchronized.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeinberg says such robotic synchronization technology could potentially be used in the future by fully abled humans to control an embedded, mechanical third arm during time-sensitive operations. For example, Weinberg\u2019s anticipation algorithms could be used to help astronauts or surgeons perform complex, physical tasks in synchronization with robotic devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Barnes, it\u2019s all about the music. Because an embedded chip can control the speed of the drumsticks, the prosthesis can be programmed to play two sticks at a different rhythm. It can also move the sticks faster than humanly possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ll bet a lot of metal drummers might be jealous of what I can do now,\u201d he said. \u201cSpeed is good. Faster is always better.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBarnes will play with the device for the first time publicly on March 22 at the Robotic Musicianship Demonstration and Concert at Kennesaw State University\u2019s Bailey Performance Center. The free event, which will also feature Weinberg\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/research-projects\/travis\u0022\u003EShimi robot\u003C\/a\u003E, is part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atlantasciencefestival.org\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta Science Festival\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Invention gives amputee more control and creativity"}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new robotic prosthesis controls two drumsticks for an amputee."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2014-03-05 19:52:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:58","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"281081":{"id":"281081","type":"image","title":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis 1","body":null,"created":"1449244184","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:49:44","changed":"1475894973","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:33","alt":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis 1","file":{"fid":"198927","name":"12909726595_c7bf446bdf_b.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12909726595_c7bf446bdf_b_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12909726595_c7bf446bdf_b_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":192311,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12909726595_c7bf446bdf_b_0.jpg?itok=lFQiN1U8"}},"281101":{"id":"281101","type":"image","title":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis In Use","body":null,"created":"1449244184","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:49:44","changed":"1475894973","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:33","alt":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis In Use","file":{"fid":"198929","name":"12909815203_4419c1f6e6_b.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12909815203_4419c1f6e6_b_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12909815203_4419c1f6e6_b_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":139582,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12909815203_4419c1f6e6_b_0.jpg?itok=8saGkER7"}},"281091":{"id":"281091","type":"image","title":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis 2","body":null,"created":"1449244184","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:49:44","changed":"1475894973","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:33","alt":"Robotic Drumming Prosthesis 2","file":{"fid":"198928","name":"12910156984_ae7eacd276_b.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12910156984_ae7eacd276_b_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12910156984_ae7eacd276_b_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":327157,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12910156984_ae7eacd276_b_0.jpg?itok=77qI_WE1"}}},"media_ids":["281081","281101","281091"],"groups":[{"id":"1221","name":"College of Design"}],"categories":[{"id":"42891","name":"Georgia Tech Arts"},{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"88431","name":"Drum"},{"id":"1939","name":"Gil Weinberg"},{"id":"1180","name":"Music"},{"id":"88421","name":"Prosthesis"},{"id":"1356","name":"robot"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}