Developed by Shinichi Furuya and associates at the Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Tokyo, this exoskeletal hand was originally designed to help train the muscles of those with limited use of their digits. Well now they’ve discovered it can also help take accomplished pianists to the next level. Heck yeah, ‘Für Elise’ here I come! “Can you even play piano?” Only ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, slowly.

Sony CSL’s research team developed a training method using an exoskeleton robot that moves the five fingers independently and at high speed to experience complex, high-speed finger movements that humans cannot execute themselves. Training conducted after one hand was fitted with the robot revealed improvement in skills that had plateaued. Skill improvement also occurred in the other hand, which had not been trained.

Training one hand also improves the other untrained hand — how about that! What are we, octopuses? Also, after watching that video there’s no question this will be put to other, more sensual uses. “Like it hasn’t already.” HIYO! Hey can I take this home after work?