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Software Helps Musicians Stop Slouching By Ruining Their Music


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Keep upright.

New software developed at the Royal College of Music, London, tells musicians when their posture is poor.

Credit: Sputnik/Alamy Stock Photo

Researchers at the Royal College of Music, London in the U.K. have developed the Musician's Mirror, software that identifies when musicians' posture is poor and gives them an audible notification.

Users can take advantage of the software by inputting images of themselves adopting good and bad posture, and then highlighting the parts of the body on which they want the system to focus. The musicians then practice their instrument in front of a depth camera. If the musicians start to slouch, they receive an audible warning in the form of white noise for an acoustic instrument, and out-of-tune notes for an electric instrument. If their posture becomes worse, the warning sound becomes more jarring.

After the practice session is over, the system produces a "heat map" in the form of a single image representing the player's most common postures.

From New Scientist
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Abstracts Copyright © 2017 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

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