The Cyborg Drummer, A Documentary About a Man With a Robotic Prosthetic That Lets Him Drum Again

“The Cyborg Drummer” is a short documentary by The Atlantic about Jason Barnes, a man with a robotic prosthetic that allows him to drum again after losing his right hand in an accident.

Barnes reached out to Gil Weinberg, the director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology which developed the Shimon musical robot, to help develop a prosthetic that would meet the needs of a drummer. Weinberg and his team rose to the challenge, providing Barnes with not only the ability to drum again, but the ability to play with unprecedented speed.