We developed the universal piano system,“Eye Play the Piano,” by using an eye-tracking system within a head mount display so the piano could be played without the use of hands or arms but rather by blinking on the desired key to play that note.

The arrangement of the standard keyboard, which is designed to be played by hand has been reassembled to an interface which can be played by “sight.”

After 4 months of practicing, the disabled student, Kota played the piano for the first Christmas concert at the school.

Eye Play the Piano gave an opportunity for handicapped people to try a new experience, that is to play musical instruments freely without using their body.

This project was covered by the media of 37 countries, and played an important role in spreading the uppermost notion of education, that is “to open the children to infinite possibilities.”

Moreover, through charity fundraising, we were able to donate the device to other 53 schools in Japan.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Education has started to fully introduce the system to expressive education, which has advanced the future of special education in Japan.

The University of Tsukuba’s Special Needs Schools, who operate various schools across the country for the physically disabled, declares "expanding the possibilities of children" as their educational philosophy and aims to provide an educational environment where handicapped students can express their imagination freely.

Kota Numajiri is a 16-years-old student who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a disease that affects muscular development in the arms and legs. He has loved music since he was a little child, and his dream was to play piano by himself.

The development for the universal piano system,“Eye Play the Piano,” was brought up with the idea of coupling an eye-tracking system to recognize the direction of eyes through the virtual reality headset with an instrument so the user could play the instrument without their hands or arms but instead only with their eyes.