7 ms·

Specially made gloves let Brazilian pianist Joao Carlos Martins play again

106 points by BobbyVsTheDevil 6y ago

jmercouris 6y ago
It would be nice to see a video of the gloves in action, but I couldn’t see one on the page.
- binarycrusader 6y ago
  Here's a few: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roJ7nZs9Fz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roJ7nZs9Fz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZ2YLLQIJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZ2YLLQIJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEZzoJVCJ6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEZzoJVCJ6s
  - patagurbon 6y ago
    That first video is heartbreakingly beautiful
spiritplumber 6y ago
This is peak wholesome. Is there an explanation of the tech?
- binarycrusader 6y ago
  Yes, see the videos I linked earlier. Short version is that the pianist can press the keys but finds it difficult to lift their fingers up after pressing. The gloves have some sort of mechanism and design put into them to assist the pianist by making it easier to lift their fingers after pressing keys.
  - rasz 6y ago
    some sort of mechanism = underpants rubber bands
    - buran77 6y ago
      Carbon fiber blades over the fingers keeping them pulled back (so straight).
smabie 6y ago
How do these gloves work? It seems like the Chicago Tribune is wholly uninterested in even making an attempt to explain it. Maybe they really are 'magic' gloves.
- btilly 6y ago
  From the description of the article, they pull his fingers up. He can adjust the glove to change how strongly they do. The stronger the pull, the faster the movement, the faster that he can play.
  - tyingq 6y ago
    Clarification: Pulls the individual finger up after it plays a note...
    - userbinator 6y ago
      Summary: return spring.
felipemesquita 6y ago
The description in this article from January (in Portuguese)[0] seems to indicate that the gloves are completely passive, constantly pulling his fingers outward. He says he wears them constantly to get used to his hands being open, as before they were always somewhat closed. [0]https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/01/joao-carlos-martins-volta-ao-piano-apos-um-ano-gracas-a-luva-bionica.shtml https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/01/joao-carlos-...
mci 6y ago
Ludomir Benedyktowicz (1844–1926) got his both hands chopped off at the age of 18 while fighting in a Polish uprising against Russia. This did not deter him from becoming a painter. You can see his low-tech prosthesis and a few of his paintings on Wikipedia[0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludomir_Benedyktowicz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludomir_Benedyktowicz
- fuzzybear3965 6y ago
  How did you know about this guy? I never would have heard about someone like this unless you had mentioned him. History is full of amazing people that I'll never know about. It's sad.
  - mci 6y ago
    Yeah, I got to know Benedyktowicz at the end of a long and winding experience that led me to read on the beginnings of the Krakow Chess Club (he was a founder). Depending on your outlook, it happened either by chance or by destiny.

jmercouris 6y ago

It would be nice to see a video of the gloves in action, but I couldn’t see one on the page.

binarycrusader 6y ago
Here's a few: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roJ7nZs9Fz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roJ7nZs9Fz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZ2YLLQIJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZ2YLLQIJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEZzoJVCJ6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEZzoJVCJ6s
- patagurbon 6y ago
  That first video is heartbreakingly beautiful

spiritplumber 6y ago

This is peak wholesome. Is there an explanation of the tech?

binarycrusader 6y ago
Yes, see the videos I linked earlier. Short version is that the pianist can press the keys but finds it difficult to lift their fingers up after pressing. The gloves have some sort of mechanism and design put into them to assist the pianist by making it easier to lift their fingers after pressing keys.
- rasz 6y ago
  some sort of mechanism = underpants rubber bands
  - buran77 6y ago
    Carbon fiber blades over the fingers keeping them pulled back (so straight).

smabie 6y ago

How do these gloves work? It seems like the Chicago Tribune is wholly uninterested in even making an attempt to explain it. Maybe they really are 'magic' gloves.

btilly 6y ago
From the description of the article, they pull his fingers up. He can adjust the glove to change how strongly they do. The stronger the pull, the faster the movement, the faster that he can play.
- tyingq 6y ago
  Clarification: Pulls the individual finger up after it plays a note...
  - userbinator 6y ago
    Summary: return spring.

felipemesquita 6y ago

The description in this article from January (in Portuguese)[0] seems to indicate that the gloves are completely passive, constantly pulling his fingers outward. He says he wears them constantly to get used to his hands being open, as before they were always somewhat closed. [0]https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/01/joao-carlos-martins-volta-ao-piano-apos-um-ano-gracas-a-luva-bionica.shtml https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/01/joao-carlos-...

mci 6y ago

Ludomir Benedyktowicz (1844–1926) got his both hands chopped off at the age of 18 while fighting in a Polish uprising against Russia. This did not deter him from becoming a painter. You can see his low-tech prosthesis and a few of his paintings on Wikipedia[0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludomir_Benedyktowicz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludomir_Benedyktowicz

fuzzybear3965 6y ago
How did you know about this guy? I never would have heard about someone like this unless you had mentioned him. History is full of amazing people that I'll never know about. It's sad.
- mci 6y ago
  Yeah, I got to know Benedyktowicz at the end of a long and winding experience that led me to read on the beginnings of the Krakow Chess Club (he was a founder). Depending on your outlook, it happened either by chance or by destiny.