Whilst cleaning an exhaust duct on a restaurant roof, drummer Jason Barnes received an electric shock of 22,000 volts. It resulted in the amputation of his right arm.
Jason assumed his playing days were over until he contacted Gil Weinberg, a professor of music technology at Georgia Tech. Weinberg built a robotic prosthesis which allowed Jason to play the drums once more.
Jason's robotic arm reads signals from his bicep to control the movement of the stick. A second stick is controlled by an algorithm that allows Jason to play advanced improvisational patterns.
In the video below, Jason discusses the incident and explains how his prosthesis lets him play drums once more.
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Our interview with Anna Prior from Metronomy. "Playing drums changed my life. It changed how I thought about the world." Click or tap here fo' mo'.
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“Ever since I was a little kid, I would say, ‘What’s the point of being a musician?’ I could never really come up with an answer.”
“The best thing you can do is get a van and get out there. And you have to be ok with not getting paid for anything.”
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Our interview with Mark Sheppard from Supernatural. Honestly it's really good. Click or tap here fo' mo'.