Jason Barnes, cyborg drummer

In this video, drummer Jason Barnes and his mother talk about how he lost his right arm; the many surgeries he underwent in an effort to save his arm; and how he has since recommitted himself to follow his dream in becoming a world-class drummer.

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Jason Barnes demonstrating his new robotic drumming prosthesis, developed by GTCMT's Robotic Musicianship Group. Free concert - March 22, Bailey Performance Center, Kennesaw State University. Jason will perform with musicians from Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology, Kennesaw State University Music Department, and Atlanta Institute of Music.

Principle Investigator: Gil Weinberg
In Collaboration with: Guy Hoffman - IDC Herzelia, Philip Mullins - Meka Robotics, Roberto Aimi - Alium Labs
Hardware Design & Low-Level Controls by Meka Robotics
Students: Mason Bretan, Deepak Gopinath, Annie Zhang, Iman Mukherjee, Minwei Gu

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A human musician will take to the stage wearing a robotic arm that lets him play like never before.

Watch Jason Barnes, who lost part of one arm in an accident, debut the robotic prosthesis that lets him to do things ordinary drummers can't

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Bailey Performance Center, March 22, 2014

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Full story:
"Superhuman cyborg drummer plays his first live gig"

by Aviva Rutkin
April 9, 2014

Watch Jason Barnes, who lost part of one arm in an accident, debut the robotic prosthesis that lets him to do things ordinary drummers can't

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In 2012, drummer Jason Barnes was cleaning an exhaust duct when he was electrocuted by 22,000 volts of electricity. He lost his right hand and believed his days as a musician were done. That's when Gil Weinberg, professor of musical technology at Georgia Tech, stepped in with a robotic hand that gave Barnes his drumming abilities back. In this Atlantic documentary, we explore this particular juncture of music and technology—what it has meant for Barnes and what it could mean for the future of music in the age of artificial intelligence.

Barnes's performance was filmed at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage.

Authors: Daniel Lombroso, Paul Rosenfeld

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