Manami Ito’s is one of those stories that makes people rethink what’s considered impossible. It’s about the nursing student who suffered a car accident in 2004 that took her right arm.

For someone who pursued a career in music, this would have ended their musical career. However, Manami Ito would transform her career in music. This week, she’s in the spotlight at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. Rather than robots and other technology on display at this event in Switzerland, it’s the story of Manami Ito and her violin performance that draws people in.

Engineering a New Way to Play

Violin performers rely on their right arm to hold and maneuver the violin bow. Due to the loss of her right arm, Manami Ito uses a custom-built prosthetic to attach to the violin bow. However, rather than using her arm to move the violin bow, she uses her shoulder blades to move the violin bow across the violin strings.

After years of practicing in the privacy of her own home, she finally found the confidence to perform in front of an audience. The violin performance had to be learned entirely in a new way using her prosthetic arm.

More Than Just a Musician

Manami Ito is an amazing woman who accomplished several “firsts” in her career. Not only is she Japan’s first nurse to work with a prosthetic arm, but she’s also competed twice in swimming at the Paralympics. Ito says that her love of swimming allowed her to accept her scars over time. However, the violin was a way of honoring her mother and the promise she made to her when she was a child.

At the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Ito performed one of her violin compositions, entitled “Never Give Up.” Not only does this performance tie into the competition’s theme, but it also represents her prosthetic arm, giving her the ability to express her creativity.

The Human Behind the Tech

While the world gets caught up in the technology and all that it can accomplish for humanity, Manami Ito shows people a different way. Using her prosthetic violin bow is much harder than it appears in performance videos. It’s physically challenging and requires a focus that most musicians never have to employ in their careers.

Her presence at these international technology events reminds people of the best use for innovation in the world.

See Manami Ito’s incredible violin performance with her prosthetic arm: 

This violin performance highlights the skill and precision Manami Ito has mastered using her shoulder blades to maneuver the violin bow using her custom prosthetic arm.