Rock Band Drum Kit accessibility mod helps everybody rock harder

While we of course rock oh-so-very-hard on Rock Band's drums, the pedal just never felt right under our weakling calves. The problem is naturally exacerbated for folks in wheelchairs, since there's no way to avoid the kick drum or re-route it to another button -- at least out of the box. Some folks at Kinetic Communications modded up a doorbell to work as the kick drum button and screwed it to a drum stick. Not the prettiest mod in the world, but it got their wheelchair-bound buddy drumming for about $20, and it shouldn't be hard to replicate their instructions.

[KEROLiUKAS Posted May 31st 2008 10:53PM]

Cool, but i guess it makes it sorta easier for handicaps, as they already are better at controlling their arms...

[tbutters Posted Jun 1st 2008 12:00AM]

ummm . . . not how it works, buddy. not at all. certainly not for quads, but even for paras, any human body is only capable of so much; just because you don't hit the gym doesn't mean there aren't people out there with stronger or more agile upper bodies than a given paraplegic. In my personal experience, though my shoulders are stronger than average, because I spend all day pushing myself, when it comes time for a little "wiihab" I fatigue more quickly than I would otherwise; so I don't really gain any function for the greater strength.

[dr steve brule Posted May 31st 2008 10:53PM]

opposite of def leppard drumming confirmed!

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:03PM]

Def Leppard's drummer would be proud.

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:08PM]

Doesn't help someone with no arms...

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:25PM]

Hooray for vocals.

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:41PM]

Gee, really?

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:20PM]

This is moronic.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 5:15PM]

how is this moronic?

[tiuk Posted Jun 1st 2008 4:22PM]

Pretty sure it is you that is moronic.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 6:47PM]

Pathetic.

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:34PM]

Can't she just play the guitar? meh i guess everybody wants to be the drummer...

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 11:43PM]

I thought everyone wanted to be the singer/guitarist in the spotlight?

[samrum Posted May 31st 2008 11:39PM]

Uh...just turn auto-bass on. Oh wait

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 12:09AM]

It'd be so awesome if they could activate overdrive by doing a wheelie

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 2:56AM]

And for the guitar, wheelies would engage the whammy bar. Yeah, that would be pretty sweet. :p

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 12:27AM]

cool

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 3:40AM]

I clicked the link, and noticed that the page has cropped her head out of the photo. Pitty. She looks so happy and liberated in the full photo.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 1st 2008 4:16AM]

The photo up top is there. It's like a slideshow of 3 photos.

[WAldenIV Posted Jun 1st 2008 11:09AM]

If you disconnect the bass pedal from the kit, doesn't the game automatically hit the bass notes? When I tried the demo at a brick-and-mortar store the pedal was not connected and all the bass notes were automatically counted.

[Eddie W Posted Jun 1st 2008 1:41PM]

Someone might want the challenge of actually playing the game...

[albokay Posted Jun 1st 2008 3:35PM]

GO TIMMY GO!

[draftdubya Posted Jun 1st 2008 3:36PM]

I'll hit it

[cray Posted Jun 2nd 2008 2:46AM]

Hey can we have a civilized discussion about technology and the disabled without belittling the invention? Whether the bass counts or not is besides the point. There are hundreds of wheelchair bound people who would love to use Rock Band's drums like this mod.

I think this mod, regardless of its simplicity is everything what technology is about, making lives easier to bring society closer together.