Advances in neuroscience are opening new possibilities across diverse fields including medicine, sports, and cultural heritage. Dr. Furuya, who is researching technology to break through pianists' limitations, explains that technology utilizing brain plasticity will be the key to overcoming individual "limits." In this article, we explore how external stimuli affects the brain and how technology contributes to the efficiency of rehabilitation and sports.
Breaking through individual limitations
In our previous discussion, we heard about how your research is contributing to breaking through pianists' limitations. This time, please tell us about the expansion of this technology to other fields.
Furuya: While this research was conducted targeting pianists, I believe that technology utilizing brain plasticity has the potential for broader application in medicine and sports, and even in fields such as cultural heritage and education. What's particularly important is that it can provide options for overcoming individual physical "limitations."
What specifically do you mean by "individual limitations"?
Furuya: While the word "limitation" tends to be thought of as "something common to all people," it actually differs between individuals. For example, for piano experts, the limitation might be advanced techniques such as moving both hands completely independently at high speed with rich expression. On the other hand, for people who have just started playing piano, smoothly bending and extending individual fingers themselves can become a barrier. Also, for patients who need rehabilitation, daily actions such as pushing a button can become a major challenge.
So, you're saying that approaches tailored to each person's barriers are necessary. Then, how does this research help break through those barriers?
Furuya: What we learned from this research is that by working on the brain through external motor stimuli, we can potentially provide opportunities to break through barriers. What's important is that robots assist humans with movements they have never experienced before, and this acts as new "stimulation" to the brain. This stimulation draws out brain plasticity and makes it possible to exceed limitations.
For example, to acquire "suturing" techniques using thread in surgical procedures, long years of training and practice must be repeated from medical school through residency to reach a high level of skill. We actually receive consultations from medical settings about whether improvement in surgical skills, which previously could only be solved through what is called repetitive practice, could be shortened by using such robots.
There is also potential for application in rehabilitation. For patients whose limb movements are restricted due to stroke or paralysis, if, for example, it's difficult for them to bend and extend their fingers, robots can assist these movements to teach the brain the "sensation of moving the hands." As a result, the brain memorizes the movements, and actual hand movements may improve. In this way, by utilizing brain plasticity, individualized rehabilitation becomes possible, and more efficient recovery than ever before is expected.
What about expanding to technology related to improving top athletes' performance?
Furuya: Yes. In the world of sports, streamlining movements and acquiring techniques are extremely important. For example, if we could analyze the pitching forms or batting forms of players active in Major League Baseball and recreate them with robots, players could "experience" those movements with their own bodies and learn efficient forms. We might be able to help athletes break through their own "limitations" by learning not only muscle strength but also timing and body usage through motor stimulation,
The possibilities brought by tacit knowledge
Furuya: Our research subject is "tacit knowledge"—knowledge that cannot be verbalized. What generative AI, which is now actively being used, teaches us is explicit knowledge centered on linguistic information. We believe the great significance of our research lies in aiming to record this "tacit knowledge"—not only for piano performance techniques, but also for daily life movements and various skills used in occupations—with sensors and have the brain memorize it by making the body learn it.
We also need to consider issues of culture and values that regard effort as a "virtue." One of these is the social pressure where "achieving results without much effort" is not considered good. For example, accounts such as "that child was first in the piano exam without practicing at all" can sometimes become targets of criticism. I feel there is such a tendency in Asian regions.
On the other hand, in the West, there tends to be a tendency to rather evaluate "achieving results efficiently in a short time." Value is placed on the efficiency of results rather than the amount of effort. In fact, many top professionals have strong feelings that "I have a lot of beautiful music playing inside me, so I want to express it using my body." Lots of them are willing to use any means to acquire techniques for that realization.
We must ensure that this is not perceived as taking strange shortcuts, and I think this relates to ethical aspects including ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues). What's important is that the essence lies in the artist's desire for "what kind of music they want to express." Our efforts are one means of supporting mastery from the physical aspect toward that realization. I believe it's very important to have people properly understand that support through science and technology "is not something that fundamentally shakes the essence of art." Since there are people from the humanities in the Moonshot Research and Development Program, I hope we can advance research while discussing such points.
Hope opened by external stimulation
So external motor stimulation becomes the key to breaking through individual limitations. What is your outlook on how this technology will impact the future?
Furuya: While limitations differ from person to person, there are infinite means to exceed them. I think this research is a new step in breaking through such "barriers." External motor stimulation is a powerful tool that provides opportunities for that breakthrough. I expect that the fusion of technology and the brain will further expand future possibilities.