The restoration of historical musical instruments is a challenging endeavour. Besides the inherent technical difficulty, the degree to which the restoration process is deemed acceptable remains the subject of a longstanding debate among experts.
Some argue that much of the benefit of preserving an instrument that cannot produce sound is lost; on the other hand, restoring an instrument to playing condition requires major modifications that are largely incompatible with current practices. The aim of the NEMUS Project is to address the challenge of restoring historical musical instruments by leveraging modern advances in simulation technology.