Looking back at 2017 (2/2)

A dazzling victory at the Solar Decathlon, artificial intelligence generating melodies, virtual reality to reduce phantom pain, a robot-fish spy, 12 million francs for a Center of Artificial Muscles... Some of the EPFL's research and milestones that marked the year 2017. Artificial musician builds new melodies without music theory A deep-learning algorithm developed by the Computational Neuroscience Laboratory scientists can generate melodies that imitate a given style of music. The "Deep Artificial Composer" could one day generate convincing music for multiple instruments in real time, with applications ranging from video games to helping composers in the creative process. What's new with the DAC is that the artificial intelligence learns to compose complete melodies without any music theory from start to finish, solely based on a large database of existing music. No human postproduction is necessary. Smart walk assist improves rehabilitation  Scientists from NCCR Robotics at EPFL and at the Lausanne University Hospital developed an algorithm that adjusts how a mobile harness, suspended from the ceiling, assists patients suffering from spinal cord injury or stroke. In a clinical study with over 30 patients, the scientists showed that the patients wearing the smart walking assist immediately improved their locomotor abilities, enabling them to perform activities of daily living that would not be possible without the support. Cell senescence is regulated by innate DNA sensing