Motion Tracking: a Music and Dance Tool for People with Cerebral Palsy

We gave 32 people with cerebral palsy the opportunity to use a motion tracking system to convert their movements into musical sounds. Due to their physical limitations, people with Cerebral Palsy have traditionally had fewer opportunities to make music or dance. Motion tracking can palliate this inequality, since it permits any movement to be mapped to music and sound. We used two sensor systems: a video-camera based system and electrode-based physical touch system. The former is based on human motion and the latter requires physical contact between therapist and subject to control sound. By correlating each subject's physical handicap with specific movement-to-sound mappings, we gained insight into how motion tracking can be used as an artistic tool for people with cerebral palsy.