A Robotic Prosthesis for an Amputee Drummer
This addresses the problem of restoring musical expression for amputee drummers, representing an incremental advancement in prosthetic technology.
The researchers developed a robotic prosthesis for a drummer with a transradial amputation to simulate finger control in drumming, achieving this through a variable impedance control system and evaluating user performance in a musical synchronization study.
The design and evaluation of a robotic prosthesis for a drummer with a transradial amputation is presented. The principal objective of the prosthesis is to simulate the role fingers play in drumming. This primarily includes controlling the manner in which the drum stick rebounds after initial impact. This is achieved using a DC motor driven by a variable impedance control framework in a shared control system. The user's ability to perform with and control the prosthesis is evaluated using a musical synchronization study. A secondary objective of the prosthesis is to explore the implications of musical expression and human-robotic interaction when a second, completely autonomous, stick is added to the prosthesis. This wearable robotic musician interacts with the user by listening to the music and responding with different rhythms and behaviors. We recount some empirical findings based on the user's experience of performing under such a paradigm.