Belts of electrodes can control muscles in the forearm to help a beginner play a musical instrument.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have built a system they call PossessedHand that electrically stimulates muscles in the forearm at strategic moments to nudge beginners as they play a traditional Japanese instrument called the koto. One of the researchers, Emi Tamaki, says that people who used the technology were much better at playing the proper rhythm and made fewer mistakes. The prototype system is rudimentary and clunky, but its creators believe it could point the way toward machines that help people acquire other skills quickly and easily.
A. Hand
The device can stimulate seven different forearm muscles that control 16 joints in the hand, encouraging them to move in certain ways and at certain times. However, the stimuli aren't strong enough to make a hand grasp objects or play an instrument on its own.