A team of roboticists at Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc. and the NeuroPiano Institute, in Kyoto, reports that a robotic exoskeleton strapped to the top of a piano player’s hand allowed it to control the player’s fingers during speed exercises, leading to improvements in playing fast-moving piano tunes. In their study, published in the journal Science Robotics, the group conducted experiments with their exoskeleton hand robot with more than 100 trained piano players.
Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that most musicians reach a plateau in their playing ability after long periods of practice, especially for instruments that require high-speed dexterity like guitar and piano. In this new study, the researchers in Japan wondered if passive hand training with a robot could help musicians move beyond this plateau, allowing them to play better or faster. They recruited 118 trained pianists to take part in a series of experiments.
The exoskeleton they developed fits over the top of the hand and attaches to the fingers to keep it firmly in place and control finger movement. The finger movements in the exercises simulated the types that are used to play the piano.
Each of the volunteers practiced playing pieces prior to the experiments until reaching their individual plateau levels. They then allowed the robot exoskeleton to conduct what the researchers call passive training, during which the robot controlled the fingers on just their right hand, moving them up and down in different patterns at different speeds.
Following the training, the volunteers were then asked to remove the exoskeleton and play the same pieces they had been practicing to see if there were any differences. The research teams found that the training had improved player performance, allowing the pianists to move beyond their plateau, most particularly for playing faster. They also found improvements in both hands despite training just one hand.
The team also conducted motor cortex tests before and after training and found that the training led to neuroplastic changes in the brain.
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