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Hacker News • 108일 전
루게릭병 무용수, 뇌파와 근전도로 실시간 공연 성공
IMP 8/10
핵심 요약
덴츠 랩(Dentsu Lab)은 루게릭병(ALS) 환자의 미세한 근육 수축과 뇌파를 감지해 디지털 아바타로 구현하는 인터페이스 기술을 선보였습니다. 이 기술은 단순한 보조 도구를 넘어, 환자가 가상 공간에서 범용적으로 사용할 수 있는 '디지털 신체'를 제공하며 e스포츠 및 실시간 무용 공연에 성공적으로 적용되었습니다. 신체적 제약이 있는 약 2억 명의 사용자에게 새로운 소통 및 표현의 창구를 열어준다는 점에서 HCI(인간-컴퓨터 상호작용) 관점에서 큰 의의가 있습니다.
번역된 본문
덴츠 랩(Dentsu Lab)의 '프로젝트 휴머니티(Project Humanity)'는 미세한 근육 신호와 뇌파를 완전한 디지털 표현으로 변환하는 인터페이스를 구축하고 있으며, 2025년 12월 암스테르담의 라이브 무대에서 이를 선보였습니다.
우리가 만드는 대부분의 제품에는 조용히 전제되는 하나의 가정이 있습니다. 바로 제품을 사용하는 사람이 손을 움직일 수 있다는 것입니다. 그들은 화면을 스와이프하고, 탭하고, 타이핑하고, 클릭할 수 있습니다. 인간-컴퓨터 상호작용(HCI)의 전체적인 패러다임은 이 전제를 바탕으로 구축되었습니다. 하지만 전 세계적으로 심각한 신체적 장애를 가지고 살아가는 약 2억 명의 사람들에게는 상황이 다릅니다.
침묵 속의 신호
루게릭병(ALS, 근위축성 측삭 경화증)은 수의적 움직임을 담당하는 운동 뉴런이 점진적으로 퇴화하는 진행성 신경 퇴행성 질환입니다. 신체는 마비되며, 완전히 움직일 수 없게 되는 경우도 많지만, 그럼에도 정신은 온전히 남아있습니다. 대부분의 환자에게 이 질병은 인지 능력을 빼앗지 않습니다. 바로 '표현력'을 빼앗아 갑니다.
덴츠 랩의 엔지니어들은 이 문제를 하나의 '인터페이스 문제'로 바라보았습니다. 출력 채널인 '신체'가 손상되었다면, 해결책은 새로운 채널을 찾는 것입니다. 그들의 접근 방식은 환자의 몸에 직접 부착한 근전도(EMG) 센서에서 시작됩니다. 이 센서들은 아주 작고 미세한 잔여 근육 수축에 의해 생성되는 전기적 활동을 감지합니다. 그런 다음 이 원시 생체 데이터는 처리되어 사용자의 의도된 움직임을 반영하는 가상 공간의 전신 디지털 아바타에 매핑됩니다.
이 인터페이스는 상징적이거나 추상적이지 않으며, 신체 그 자체를 담아냅니다(Embodied). 아바타가 움직이는 이유는 여전히 사람의 근육이 움직이려 하고 있기 때문입니다. 이 시스템은 단지 그 의도를 가시화할 뿐입니다.
접근성을 넘어서
이 기술이 기술적으로 주목할 만한 점은 아바타가 단순한 아바타에 그치지 않고 '제어 표면(Control Surface)' 역할을 한다는 것입니다. 매핑이 완료되면 생산성 도구, 커뮤니케이션 플랫폼, 크리에이티브 애플리케이션 등 모든 소프트웨어와 상호 작용하는 데 사용할 수 있습니다. 사용자는 맞춤형 보조 도구에 국한되지 않습니다. 그들은 디지털 공간에서 범용적으로 사용할 수 있는 신체를 갖게 됩니다. 덴츠 랩은 이미 e스포츠 대회를 통해 이 기술을 시연한 바 있습니다.
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Artificial Intelligence Automotive Robotics 10 April 2026 Home Products Sensors How a dancer with ALS used brainwaves to perform live How a dancer with ALS used brainwaves to perform live Sensors VR/AR 10 April 2026 by Paige Hookway Credit: Dentsu Creative/YouTube Dentsu Lab’s Project Humanity is building interfaces that translate minute muscle signals and brainwaves into full digital expression – and in December 2025, they put that on a live stage in Amsterdam. There is a quiet assumption embedded in most of the products we build: that the person using them can move their hands. They can swipe, tap, type, click. The entire paradigm of human-computer interaction has been built around that premise. But for an estimated 200 million people worldwide living with serious physical disabilities , that’s not the case. The signal in the silence ALS – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which the motor neurons responsible for voluntary movement gradually degrade. The body becomes immobile, often entirely, while the mind remains fully intact. For most patients, the disease does not take cognition. It takes expression. The engineers at Dentsu Lab saw this as an interface problem. If the output channel – the body – is compromised, then the solution is to find a new one. Their approach begins with electromyography (EMG) sensors attached directly to the patient's body. These sensors detect the electrical activity generated by even the smallest, most residual muscle contractions. That raw biological data is then processed and mapped onto a digital avatar – a full-body representation in virtual space that mirrors the user's intended movements. The interface is not symbolic or abstract; it is embodied. The avatar moves because the person's muscles are still trying to move. The system simply makes that intention legible. More than accessibility What makes this technically interesting is that the avatar is not just an avatar – it is a control surface. Once mapped, it can be used to interact with any software: productivity tools, communication platforms, creative applications. The user is not confined to a bespoke assistive tool. They have a general-purpose body in digital space. Dentsu Lab has already demonstrated this in an e-sports context, running trial events where participants with physical disabilities played games online alongside people without disabilities. The result was instructive: the differences in physical ability became irrelevant at the layer of the interface. This has direct implications beyond gaming. If the interface can be generalised, it becomes a pathway into the Metaverse for people who currently have no viable route in – opening up educational platforms, remote work environments, and social spaces that are otherwise inaccessible. Amsterdam, December 2025: a live proof of concept If the e-sports trial was a proof of function, Waves of Will was a proof of expression. On the evening of 10th December 2025, in collaboration with NTT Inc., Dentsu Lab staged a live dance performance in Amsterdam featuring Breanna Olson – a professional dancer who has been living with ALS. The technical mechanism here shifted from EMG to brainwave detection . Breanna's neural signals – the electrical activity corresponding to her intention to move, to dance – were captured and translated in real time into choreography performed by her digital avatar on stage. In an interview with BBC News , Breanna described the experience as "exhilarating" and "magical" – watching herself, in virtual form, take to the stage once more. Sensors VR/AR 10 April 2026 by Paige Hookway Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News E-mail Subscribe Subscribe By pressing the Subscribe button, you confirm that you have read and are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Previous Post Power modules increase efficiency of traction inverters Power Press Releases 10 April 2026 Next Post Comparison of networks protocols for multigigabit automotive optical communications Automotive Wireless 10 April 2026 Recommended for You Cutting tactile robot design from months to weeks Robotics Sensors Würth Elektronik presents a differential pressure sensor Press Releases Sensors STMicroelectronics and Leopard Imaging accelerate robotics vision Press Releases Robotics Sensors STMicroelectronics’ technologies support Snapdragon Wear Elite for smarter AI at the Edge Artificial Intelligence Sensors Wearables Wireless Tiny motion sensor targets medical applications Medical Sensors Wearables A biohybrid sensor that ‘sees’ like a retina Sensors The crucial part sensors and MEMS play in smart wearables Sensors Wearables GreenPAK applications in VR and AR headsets VR/AR Wearables ×