Cyborg Drumming

Professor Gil Weinberg of the Georgia Institute of Technology has devised a robotic prosthetic limb that embeds its technology into humans by acting like a Half Human, Half Machine or a Cyborg.

The device has been attached onto drummer Jason Barnes’ amputated arm. Weinberg created a single–stick device with sensors that responded to Barnes’ bicep muscles. This stick can be pulled away completely at the desire of Jason or it can be allowed to play on its own by improvising on Jason’s playing. Weinberg had built the device on the basis of robotic synchronization, which enables it to improvise on the drumming beat and play on its own, sometimes performing way better than Jason himself.

Weinberg had earlier created an entire band of robotic musicians, but this current endeavour is based on Electromyography (EMG), which uses muscle sensors to give movement to robotic devices. Weinberg hopes that his technology will help medical science in creating a mechanical third arm for humans to perform complex and physical tasks in synchronization with the robotic devices.