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Robotic arm gives drummers an extra hand to thrash with
Let's face it: most of us will never be great drummers. Despite our stellar air drumming skills, it's just not going to happen -- no matter much we listen to Neil Peart. Researchers at Georgia Tech developed a robotic arm that gives drummers an extra arm to help boost those skills. The project from the university's Center for Music Technology aims to push the limits of what humans can do with a hand, er, arm from smart robotics. In this case, the device attaches to a drummer's shoulder and reacts to changes in tempo and movement. If the musician moves to the high-hat, the arm knows to switch to the ride cymbal, for example.
This robotic prosthesis gives drummers a third arm
For many drummers, losing part of an arm could represent a career-ending tragedy. Not Jason Barnes, however. Georgia Tech professor Gil Weinberg has built a robotic prosthesis that not only restores much of Barnes' musical prowess, but effectively gives him a third arm. The wearable offers direct control of one drumstick using bicep muscles; a second, automated drumstick monitors Barnes' timing and plays in sync at a customizable pace, creating a sound that ordinary humans can't match. As you might imagine, the robotic arm has advantages for metal and other musical styles where complex drumming is essential. However, Weinberg also sees uses for the technology in other fields -- astronauts and surgeons could perform complicated tasks in harmony with robots, for example. You can catch a brief demo of Barnes' augmented skills in the video below, and you can check it out in person at Kennesaw State University's Robotic Musicianship Demonstration on March 22nd. [Image credit: Rob Felt/Georgia Tech, Flickr]
Robot drummer goes solo, plays solos
Finally you can give your drummer his walking papers. Let's be honest, he was the weak link in the band, right? From now on, all your percussive duties can be carried out by this ingenious bot, whose only duty in artificial-life is to roll around, find objects to bang on, and create funky little loops. Basically, the Yellow Drum Machine uses two microphones / sound sensors on its "head" to search out surfaces suitable for rocking, then uses two sticks to play a beat, record it, and accompany the playback. The end result is a surprisingly human -- and wiggle-inducing -- rhythm. Check the video after the break to see just how nasty this robot gets.[Via Make]
BlueBox intros miJam iPod toys
If it wasn't yet clear to you that the age of the DIY mashup is upon us, a new set of toys from a company called BlueBox -- which let even iPod-toting tweens "enhance" their tunes by dropping beats and sound effects -- should remove any lingering doubts. The three members of the new miJam series, which all attach to standard headpone jacks - a guitar, mixing board, and electronic drumsticks -- bear little resemblance to their non-toy counterparts, as all of the effects are triggered by buttons instead of real drumming or thrashing. Even the mixer sounds like it would be a letdown for budding DJ's, delivering canned scratches that will in no way prepare them for the beat-matching they'll being doing in a few years on their Numarks. Still, kids are pretty easily entertained, so the flashing lights and loud noises should probably hold their interest for a few minutes longer than your average gimmicky accessory. Like so many other pre-release products we bring you, we have no idea when these are coming out nor how much they'll sell for.
