kineticsculpture
Latest
Watch a robot play the violin better than you can
Wish you hadn't been so quick to give up violin practice as a kid? You may never get to turn back the clock, but retired engineer Seth Goldstein is showing that there's still hope of reliving those musical ambitions through technology. He recently showed off Ro-Bow, a kinetic sculpture that uses robotic fingers (specifically, electromagnetic actuators) to play digital music files on a real violin. While the machine won't have concert performers rethinking their careers, it's probably better with a bow than you were way back when -- it can handle a fast Irish jig as well as a slow, sentimental tune like "Amazing Grace." The Ro-Bow hardware would have to shrink and get a bit of polish to be useful as more than an art project, of course. All the same, it's proof that you don't have to run a giant technology company to build a reasonably adept robotic musician.
Metropolis II: the kinetic sculpture built out of boy racer dreams (video)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has got itself a new toy. Or, to be more precise, it's got itself a whole fleet of Hot Wheels mini speedsters, courtesy of one Chris Burden. He's the gent responsible for dreaming up Metropolis II, the above interwoven set of tracks and circuits, which is populated with 1,200 "custom designed" cars, 13 toy trains, and some assorted scenery built out of Lego, tiles, and wood blocks. We're not sure whether it's intended to represent the daily rat race we call modern life or if it's simply a boyish dream turned real -- decide for yourself after watching the video after the break.
The BMW Museum's kinetic sculpture takes your brain to another dimension
Ready to have your gray matter softly stroked? Perhaps you should take a trip to BMW's recently opened museum in Munich, where a kinetic sculpture comprising 714 metallic balls suspended in air will soothe your weary mind. It's one of those things that's better seen than described, but if you can imagine a wave of undulating orbs that appear to weightlessly float, you'll start to get the idea. Can't afford the flight? Check out the video -- which features some serious easy listening jams -- after the break and see the installation in action.[Via BMWCCA]
