Jason Barnes, a drummer who lost his arm in a working accident two years ago, now plays with a robotic prosthesis that holds two sticks at once. As PopSci explains, one of the sticks listens to the music that’s playing and generates its own accompaniment on the fly.
Using electromyography sensors, one stick on the arm picks up muscle movement, and acts how Barnes wants it to. The other stick is independent: using a mic and accelerometer, it listens in on what Barnes and his fellow musicians are playing, then lays down a complementary beat in a jazzy style.
Watch Barnes in action in the video above.
