Monstrous enjoyed a busy, yet productive, weekend at Maker Faire, 2010 in the Bay area. While there were tons and tons of amazing projects happening all around us, there were a few choice items that caught our interest and sparked our imagination. One of which was the GamelaTron, a robotic Gamelan Orchestra:
quoted from website:
Synopsis
The GamelaTron is the fruit of a collaboration between The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR) and the composer Zemi17: A. Taylor Kuffner.
Modeled after traditional Balinese and Javanese gamelan orchestras, the GamelaTron is an amalgamation of traditional instruments with a suite of percussive sound makers. MIDI sequences control 117 robotic striking mechanisms that produce intricately woven and rhythmic sound. Performances follow an arc similar to classic Indonesian gatherings, where stories from great epics, such as the Ramayana, are told and settings given in words that are continued in music.
More information can be found on his website, including pictures, video, and audio. Highly suggest spending a few moments checking it out!
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