Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in an accident but didn't use that as an excuse to stop performing. He's pretty much an inspiration that nothing should stop you from doing what you love. Aspiring drummer Jason Barnes is also the same.

He built a crude prosthetic using springs that allowed him to keep on drumming. Then he met a professor at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media who realized he could build him something even better.

Gil Weinberg designed a prosthetic for Barnes that lets him continue to play the drums as well as he could with two arms—and maybe even better than before. This is Def Leppard 2.0.



The small robot arm lets Barnes accurately control a drumstick using the muscles in his upper arm and the prosthetic includes a second drumstick that plays along autonomously, using a microphone and accelerometer to detect Barnes' rhythm.

Barnes will need to practice to perfect his craft still, but he's already going to be performing in a concert at the Atlanta Science Festival in a few weeks.

Very impressive. [YouTube via NewScientist]