Neuromuscle

Create a new single entity dissolving the binary concept of ‘machine’ and ‘human’.

We were invited to create the opening titles to Semi Permanent’s Future State conference. We thought seeing an AI beginning to learn to play a game and get progressively better until it has mastered it was a great way to allude to the future state… then we got carried away and ended up with electrode needles in our arms.

Built using open source tools, Neuromuscle is a rapid skill acquisition tool designed to transfer AI to the human body through transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. When connected to the person’s upper arms, the AI is able to command the hands to play an original 1979 Atari classic, Asteroids.

Neuromuscle is an example for what AI development could mean for the future of human work and purpose.

The experiment demonstrates how AI could retain muscle memory, with implications across health care, performance, and advancing human life.

The project was showcased at this year’s Semi Permanent Festival in Sydney.