AMSTERDAM — Breanna Olson, a ballerina diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis two and a half years ago, performed on stage at the OBA Theatre in Amsterdam in December through a mixed-reality avatar powered by her brainwaves. The performance was part of a project called Waves of Will.

For the performance, Olson wore an electroencephalogram headset developed by Japanese tech firm Dentsu Lab in collaboration with data company NTT. The headset captured her brain activity and the specific motor signals associated with imagining certain dance movements. Sensors measured the electrical activity transmitted from her brain and converted those motor signals into a digital avatar that appeared on stage.

A brainwave interface translated Olson's brain activity signals into computer instructions that allowed her mixed-reality avatar to dance in real time.

Olson, a mother of three who lives in Tacoma, Washington state, has trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance since childhood. "I never dreamed that I would be able to dance on stage again," she said. "It was just a beautiful and memorable moment I will remember for the rest of my life."

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the most common form of motor neurone disease and weakens muscles, over time affecting speech, swallowing, and breathing.

The Waves of Will project is part of a wider initiative aiming to explore how innovation and technology can help restore personal expression, identity, and participation for people living with motor-degenerative diseases such as ALS. Dentsu Lab Chief Creative Officer Naoki Tanaka said, "This is exactly why we started Waves of Will - to make a new brainwave interface."

Mariko Nakamura of NTT said she believed the technology could be developed for other devices like wheelchairs or remote controls. "We can do more than we think we can," Olson said.