Each time a muscle in our body contracts, it gives off an electrical signal. Electromyography—or EMG—is the technique of detecting and recording those signals. Collecting and processing this data has implications across countless disciplines, from physical therapy and medicine, to ergonomics and robotics.

For the past few years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Delsys, an industry leader in the EMG field. Delsys’s newest product, the Trigno Mini, is the world’s smallest wireless EMG sensor, which opens up a host of applications never before possible.

To show off its capabilities for intricate muscle activity measurement, we chose to show the Trigno Mini being used to record the complex and nuanced muscle activity of a pianist’s hands while performing Chopin’s dynamic Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31. Many thanks to classical pianist Rui Urayama, who—as usual—performed magnificently and provided us with some pretty stellar signals. This project really put into perspective how strong and flexible a pianists muscles are.