A History of robotic Musical Instruments

This paper presents a history of robotic musical instruments that are performed by motors, solenoids, and gears. Automatic mechanical musical instruments from pianos, to turntables, to percussion, to plucked and bowed strings to wind and horns are presented. Quotes from interviews with a number of artists, engineers, and scientists who have built robotic instruments are included. Personal motivations, skill required for building musical robots, as well as future directions of the field of study are also discussed.

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