Rock and roll

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student Zane Van Dusen has created a computer based musical instrument that allows all people, regardless of physical mobility, the opportunity to make music.

Van Dusen, a senior majoring in electronic media, arts, and communication (EMAC) and computer science, worked with an interdisciplinary group of students led by Pauline Oliveros, a musician and professor of the arts at Rensselaer.

The team designed and implemented a computer interface that tracks the movement of a user’s head to allow them to produce electronic sounds and compose music on a virtual keyboard in both solo and ensemble settings.

The device provides a much-needed outlet for creative expression for people with extremely limited mobility, particularly individuals with severe cerebral palsy (CP) — a neurological disorder that permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination and has the capacity to render people unable to speak or move. It also has therapeutic benefits, according to Van Dusen.