Computer interface helps disabled patients set tone of musical performance

Pioneering technology has been used to unite a string quartet and four people living with severe disability for a world first in musical performance. The Paramusical Ensemble saw patients from the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) in London interacting with musicians through a Brain Computer Music Interface (BCMI). The system, developed at Plymouth University, allows a person to control musical systems through brainwave signals detected by electrodes placed on the scalp. This performance was one of the first showcases of the technology, which researchers believe could have a transformative impact on people being treated for medical conditions such as Locked-In Syndrome. (EurekAlert)