I don’t know about you, but I like my breakthrough technologies to serve more than one purpose. I especially like it when one of those purposes helps people, and the other is just plain fun. Throw a misleading name into the mix and it’s a trifecta of greatness.
Mobile Music Touch, which sounds like an app, is actually an incredibly exciting new treatment for people who have lost sensation in their hands due to spinal cord injury. Its benefits are therapeutic in nature, but it also teaches patients to play the piano during the healing process.
The MMT is a simple-looking device, featuring a fingerless glove, a control box, and five tiny vibrating motors. Created by Tanya Markow at Georgia Tech, the MMT continuously vibrates to help restore lost feeling and mobility. Studies have proven that vibration therapy can have restorative effects. The glove is also comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time.
As a bonus, the MMT also teaches patients how to tickle the old ivories. When music is played, a light-up keyboard indicates the correct key and the MMT vibrates the finger that should press the key.
So far, the MMT has displayed promising results. Some patients using the device say they are able to pick up objects more easily, and some say they can feel the heat from a cup of coffee immediately, rather than after a delay.
(Via Engadget)
