Japanese scientists have figured out a way to control your hand through electrical stimuli. Now, this has been done before, but it’s never been done so well using something that’s on the outside of your hand. Normally this sort of thing requires some surgery and isn’t particularly safe. This one involves putting a couple of velcro straps on your wrist and then watching your hand do whatever the program tells it to do. Today, that’s playing a musical instrument. Tomorrow? Murder. I’ve never trusted hands, and this doesn’t help a bit…

At the moment, this device is being used to teach people how to play the koto (the stringed instrument in the image above). Just strap the device on your arm and it will send electrical stimuli through your wrist to make your fingers move. While it isn’t actually strong enough to let people pluck the koto, it does apparently teach people timing pretty good. People who have used the Possessed Hand device apparently remembered how to play the koto better than those who didn’t use the device first.

Beyond playing the koto, this will eventually help those who need help relearning how to use their fingers / extremities. For example stroke victims may be able to use this to recover from the paralysis that often accompanies stroke.

Electrical stimuli moving different fingers

Everything you need to change your hand from regular hand to murderous hand

Compared to a lot of Japanese inventions, I gotta say, this one seems like it has some potential. Sure, like all technology of the future it will eventually turn on us and go on a strangling-spree, but while it’s still pretending to lack intelligence, biding its time, it’ll help a lot of people get better at musical instruments and recover from strokes. That twenty year period will be very nice.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PL41zcyTrU']

The device itself, it seems, is eerily accurate. People who wear it say it’s “unsettling” and one person even said “I felt like my body was hacked.” It’s so creepy they’re a bit worried people won’t like using the device, but they think convenience will overcome creepiness. Perhaps if they put in a few Starcraft 2 Zerg openings into the program I’d give it a shot.

P.S. I’m using the Possessed Hand on you right now. Your Possessed Hand is trying to make you Follow Tofugu On Twitter.

P.P.S. Your other hand is making you Like Tofugu On Facebook.