Music to the Ears of Bionic Man

Making music with your mind is fast becoming a reality thanks to innovator, psychology professor and passionate musician, Bertolt Meyer.

Born without the lower half of his left arm, Bertolt has been using the world’s first commercially available bionic hand called the i-Limb from Össur to create music. The i-Limb is a state-of-the-art prosthetic hand that empowers the user to accomplish daily tasks using control signals to flex muscles and open and close the hand.

While the i-Limb has enabled Bertolt to do most things in his daily life, he finds it very challenging to use it to control his modular synthesiser. To overcome this problem, he decided to alter the control signals of the i-Limb so he could plug the signal from his arm directly into the synthesiser.

According to Bertolt, the biggest obstacle is the interface between the prosthesis and the body. It is difficult to replicate dozens of motor signals that exist within a natural arm. Although the i-Limb has a long way to go in its efforts to replicate the movements and control of natural limbs, it is still an incredibly advanced technology.

Video credit: Össur/Bertolt Meyer