Tech Explained: Here’s a simplified explanation of the latest technology update around Tech Explained: DJ with ALS regaining more autonomy with AI-powered tech in Simple Termsand what it means for users..
Disc jockey Masatane Muto’s relationship with artificial intelligence is a pioneering one.
Waving robotic arms to ramp up the crowd on a dance floor lit by beams of light was not a gimmick for Muto, 39, but a way to perform in a way true to himself while living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Surrounding Muto during his set at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 in October were dancing robots.
“AI significantly expands my physical ability,” he told a reporter offstage after his set with a look of satisfaction.
Part of the intractable disorder that gradually weakens muscles means Muto can no longer speak.
He instead inputs text with his eye movements to a screen for an AI-synthesized voice to read out, and still retains movement from the neck up and in his fingertips.
TRANSLATING BRAIN SIGNALS
What allows Muto to manipulate sound and visuals when DJing is an AI-driven system designed specifically to read his brain waves through electrodes attached to his scalp.
The AI model interprets his “intent” based on fluctuations in his brain activity when trying to move his arms to the music playing in his earbuds.
Eight electrodes are arranged on Muto’s head to capture signals throughout his entire brain. Attempting to move his right hand, for example, sparks a strong reaction in the left side of his brain that then triggers a response in the right robotic arm.
Providing Muto with technical support is Mikito Ogino, a specially appointed researcher of engineering at the University of Tokyo.
“Training the AI model on Muto’s brain waves for more than 100 hours has rendered it possible for the system to understand his intention of waving with an accuracy exceeding 90 percent,” said the 34-year-old.
QUICK TO RALLY
Muto was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 in his late 20s while working as a sales representative at leading advertising agency Hakuhodo Inc.
Unable to determine why his hands would not stop shaking, he made a dedicated trip to a medical center affiliated with Tohoku University for a checkup.
Looking back, Muto described the unexpected diagnosis as “the most discouraging moment of my life.”
Muto was, however, quick to redirect his focus onward. He decided on his way home by high-speed Shinkansen that “time is limited” and that “I should look forward without wasting even a single moment.”
True to his word, Muto began his endeavor to assist others with the same diagnosis the following year through the group With ALS.
Muto began collaborating with Ogino in 2018 on research into brain wave analysis utilizing AI.
With his physical mobility gradually undermined, fast-evolving AI technology is increasingly serving as a reliable companion for Muto.
A trove of recordings featuring his own voice coupled with an AI-powered input device based on tracking eye movements made it possible to digitally reproduce his voice after losing it in 2020 due to airway surgery.
‘GUINEA PIG’ FOR OTHERS
Muto was blessed with his first daughter in 2023 through artificial insemination. He can now communicate with her by swinging a toy with robotic arms with the assistance of the brain wave detector.
He hopes that his journey will someday contribute to a better life for those in similar circumstances.
“I do not mind being a guinea pig,” he said. “It will be my pleasure if knowledge accumulated in tests on me serves as a breakthrough point for advances in AI technology, delivering greater freedom to people with diseases or disabilities.”
Muto is now looking forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the music festival he founded after his diagnosis. Much has changed, but his enthusiasm for the music that led to his DJ hobby has not.