Scientists have developed a smart’ wearable robotic limb that responds to human gestures and the music it hears, allowing drummers to play with three arms.
The two-foot long robotic arm can be attached to a musician’s shoulder, and knows what to play by listening to the music. It improvises based on the beat and rhythm. For instance, if the musician plays slowly, the arm slows the tempo and vice-versa. Another aspect of its intelligence is knowing where it’s located at all times, where the drums are, and the direction and proximity of the human arms. “When the drummer moves to play the high hat cymbal, for example, the robotic arm manoeuvres to play the ride cymbal,” said researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology in US. Researchers built he arm after creating a robotic prosthesis for an Atlanta drummer.