{"502171":{"#nid":"502171","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Wearable Robot Transforms Musicians into Three-Armed Drummers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology researchers have built a wearable robotic limb that allows drummers to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/fKryPingtww\u0022\u003Eplay with three arms\u003C\/a\u003E. The two-foot long \u201csmart arm\u201d can be attached to a musician\u2019s shoulder. It responds to human gestures and the music it hears. When the drummer moves to play the high hat cymbal, for example, the robotic arm maneuvers to play the ride cymbal. When the drummer switches to the snare, the mechanical arm shifts to the tom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Professor Gil Weinberg oversees the project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. He says the goal is to push the limits of what humans can do.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you augment humans with smart, wearable robotics, they could interact with their environment in a much more sophisticated manner,\u201d said Weinberg, director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Music Technology\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThe third arm provides a much richer and more creative experience, allowing the human to play many drums simultaneously with virtuosity and sophistication that are not otherwise possible.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robotic arm is smart for a few reasons. First, it knows what to play by listening to the music in the room. It improvises based on the beat and rhythm. For instance, if the musician plays slowly, the arm slows the tempo. If the drummer speeds up, it plays faster.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother aspect of its intelligence is knowing where it\u2019s located at all times, where the drums are, and the direction and proximity of the human arms. When the robot approaches an instrument, it uses built-in accelerometers to sense the distance and proximity. On-board motors make sure the stick is always parallel to the playing surface, allowing it to rise, lower or twist to ensure solid contact with the drum or cymbal. The arm moves naturally with intuitive gestures because it was programmed using human motion capture technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeinberg and a team of student researchers with backgrounds in music, engineering, computer science and physics built the arm after creating a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2014\/03\/05\/robotic-prosthesis-turns-drummer-three-armed-cyborg\u0022\u003Erobotic prosthesis for an Atlanta drummer\u003C\/a\u003E. That device had two sticks, one with a mind of its own. The prosthetic arm allowed the man to continue his musical passion after losing an arm in an accident, while also making him the fastest drummer in the world. Its success led Weinberg to create the \u201cthird arm\u201d robot, something that anyone can wear and become a cyborg drummer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you have a robotic device that is part of your body, it\u2019s a completely different feeling from working alongside a regular robot,\u201d said Weinberg. \u201cThe machine learns how your body moves and can augment and complement your activity. It becomes a part of you.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next step is linking the arm\u2019s movements to brain activity. The team is already experimenting with an electroencephalogram (EEG) headband that detects a drummer\u2019s brain patterns. They\u2019re hoping to identify patterns that would allow the arm to react when the musician simply thinks about changing tempo or instruments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeinberg sees other applications for the technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cImagine if doctors could use a third arm to bring them tools, supplies or even participate in surgeries. Technicians could use an extra hand to help with repairs and experiments,\u201d he said. \u201cMusic is based on very timely, precise movements. It\u2019s the perfect medium to try this concept of human augmentation and a third arm.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor another video showing the technology, visit the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/guthmancompetition\/?fref=ts\u0022\u003EGuthman Musical Instrument Competition Facebook page\u003C\/a\u003E. The competition for future musical instruments is held annually at Georgia Tech and is scheduled for March 3.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through grant numbers IIS-\u003C\/em\u003E1345006\u003Cem\u003E. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology researchers have built a wearable robotic limb that allows drummers to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/fKryPingtww\u0022\u003Eplay with three arms\u003C\/a\u003E. The two-foot long \u201csmart arm\u201d can be attached to a musician\u2019s shoulder. It responds to human gestures and the music it hears. When the drummer moves to play the high hat cymbal, for example, the robotic arm maneuvers to play the ride cymbal. When the drummer switches to the snare, the mechanical arm shifts to the tom.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new wearable robotic limb allows drummers to play with three arms."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2016-02-17 15:13:23","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:46","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-02-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-02-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"502211":{"id":"502211","type":"image","title":"Robotic Arm","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895261","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:21","alt":"Robotic Arm","file":{"fid":"204743","name":"robotic_arm_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotic_arm_1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotic_arm_1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":539878,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/robotic_arm_1_0.jpg?itok=-_SiYsaN"}},"502221":{"id":"502221","type":"image","title":"Robotic Arm 2","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895261","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:21","alt":"Robotic Arm 2","file":{"fid":"204744","name":"robotic_arm_4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotic_arm_4_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotic_arm_4_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":172793,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/robotic_arm_4_0.jpg?itok=52UldzVz"}},"502191":{"id":"502191","type":"image","title":"Research Team","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895261","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:21","alt":"Research Team","file":{"fid":"204742","name":"group_shot_1_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/group_shot_1_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/group_shot_1_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":219025,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/group_shot_1_0_0.jpg?itok=KH25ADRn"}}},"media_ids":["502211","502221","502191"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.guthman.gatech.edu\/","title":"Guthman Musical Competition"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtcmt.gatech.edu\/","title":"Additional Information"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2014\/03\/05\/robotic-prosthesis-turns-drummer-three-armed-cyborg","title":"Earlier Research Project for Amputee"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"42891","name":"Georgia Tech Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1939","name":"Gil Weinberg"},{"id":"1309","name":"music technology"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"},{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003ENational Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}