For the second episode in our series Telling Our Stories: In Conversation, Dr Richard Polfreman from Music spoke with Dr Cheryl Metcalf from Health Sciences, revealing some unexpected connections.
Here’s the moment Richard describes his interest in the advanced technologies Cheryl has access to, which allow researchers to capture an increasingly detailed range of motion, such as the subtle workings of a person’s hands.
Referring to a previous Science and Engineering Day at the University, Richard talks about a virtual clarinet which he demonstrated to attendees. Operated via face tracking technology, a user would only need to tilt their head and open and close their mouth to generate musical notes.
Richard discusses the opportunity this sort of technology would provide musicians who have either lost the use of their hand(s) or lost their hands entirely and who could now gain the ability to play virtual instruments. Thinking of quadriplegic individuals, Cheryl reflects on the ‘whole new world of expression’ this technology could afford them.
All episodes in the series can be accessed from the playlist here.
Our next episode of In Conversation is due to take place Tuesday, 28 June. Look out for a post on SUSSED later this week, which will explain how you can book a ticket.
Our strength as a University and a community cones from our involvement in cross-university collaboration and connections to businesses, higher education partners and other organisations across the world. You can find more examples of our research on the We are connected website.