A newly-developed hands-free musical instrument that now allows people to make music with their minds is bringing a new meaning to “straight off the dome.” Researchers hope that this new instrument will help empower and rehabilitate patients with motor disabilities such as those from stroke, spinal cord injury or amputation. “The Encephalophone is a musical instrument that you control with your thoughts,” explained first author Thomas Deuel from the University of Washington. “I am a musician and neurologist, and I’ve seen many patients with motor impairment, who can no longer play an instrument or sing,” said Deuel. Scientists first began converting these signals into sounds in the 1930s and, later, into music in the 1960s. But these methods were still difficult to control and were not easily accessible to non-specialist users.

Source: Hindustan Times July 13, 2017 09:56 UTC