Hand exoskeleton lets pianists play fast piano pieces better
Using an exoskeleton, scientists have helped several pianists to play the piano better. Their playing speed in particular increased.
(Image: Shinichi Furuya)
Roboticists from Sony Computer Science Laboratories and the NeuroPiano Institute have developed an exoskeleton for hands that enables piano players to train their hands so that they can play faster piano pieces better. In a study, the scientists demonstrated that dexterity could be significantly improved by using the exoskeleton.
The exoskeleton moves individual fingers of a human hand via servos. These are controlled by a computer that simulates piano exercises. This involves fast and complex multi-finger movements. The researchers wanted to find out whether passive hand training can improve playing skills on the piano so that more difficult, faster piano pieces can also be played.
Passive training with the exoskeleton
For the study “Surmounting the ceiling effect of motor expertise by novel sensory experience with a hand exoskeleton” which was published in Science Robotics, the roboticists were able to recruit 118 trained pianists as test subjects. The test subjects first had to practise difficult piano pieces without the exoskeleton until the potential individual performance limit seemed to be reached. The pianists then used the exoskeleton on their right hand for passive training. The exoskeleton moved the fingers in predefined patterns and at different speeds for the exercise.
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The test subjects were then asked to play the same piano pieces again that they had practiced before training with the exoskeleton. The scientists discovered striking differences. Training with the exoskeleton had significantly improved the performance of the test subjects, allowing them to push their limits. In particular, playing faster passages improved. However, this was not limited to the trained right hand, but was also transferred to the left hand.
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The roboticists also carried out tests of the motor cortex before and after the training. They found that training with the exoskeleton had led to neuroplastic changes in the brain.
(olb)
