Using Arm Electrodes to Play Guitar – Seriously?

I feel that there’s always a point when technology diminishes art. Obvious examples such as lip syncing and vocal mixing and mastering are rampant, but now we have something for posers on guitar. The University of Tokyo Rekimoto Lab has come up with what they call PossessedHand – a device with a forearm belt that can teach when and which fingers should be moved. PossessedHand controls the user’s fingers by applying electrical stimulus to the muscles around the forearm. Each muscle is stimulated via 28 electrode pads.

It’s still in the development stages, but I think that it has tremendous potential for medical, military and manufacturing applications. As for playing guitar, I’d try it out but I tend to feel that playing guitar starts with your ear and transmitting through your fingers. What do you think? A potentially useful learning tool or another path to being a pretender?

via cnet