❤️ Paralyzed Dancer Takes the Stage Again—Through a Digital Avatar

Professional ballerina Brianna Olson, who lives with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), performed at Amsterdam's OBA theater thanks to an interface that translates brain signals into movements of a digital avatar.

The technology was developed by Japan's Dentsu Lab. Olson's brain impulses are read using an EEG headset: the dancer imagines a movement, and the interface recognizes her intention and translates it into digital choreography in real time.

💡 With ALS, the neurons responsible for movement gradually degenerate, and a person loses the ability to control their body. However, thinking is usually unaffected. That's why Dentsu Lab set out to solve the "interface" problem—giving people a way to express themselves when their bodies no longer cooperate.

"I never dreamed I would be able to dance on stage again. It was simply a beautiful and unforgettable moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life," Olson says.

@hiaimediaen