The NXT-bot enthusiasts build a "sound localizing robot". It uses an RCX-Module to transform audio. (The RCX is a Lego Mindstorm component, can see it in the picture). Two microphones act as "stereo ears", that the delay between the two microphones is used, to locate the sound and point to that direction. You know that from being human. The difference is, that humans may be a little bit faster in localizing the sound, than this phase detecting bot.
The RCX samples 2 x 1000 data-points on each ear at a frequency of 36kHz. Then it processes the time-lag between both signals within 100ms. This is impressively fast, because we apply a high speed phase detection. The RCX repeats the sampling and detection process 10 times and takes the average of the measurements. Then the RCX computes the azimuth from the time-lag and sends the angle to the NXT through the HiTechnic IR-link.
There is an official blog-posting on the Nic_3 over at nxtasy, and much more technical information about this bot s given at this site.
Sound-Machines made by Festo came play by 2007. The composition is very interesting and was made by Elena-Kats Chernin. Music that touches the borders of experimental, pop-appeal and classical music. Music for robots is, what I think, a very interesting opportunity to enhance the level of computer-based music.
A similar work from the artworld is the computer-played band by Jeremy Boyle. The example showed here is playing the guitar with picks and switches.
Look at this sculpture! An insanely brilliant stack of metal tubes form a gigantic sculpture, with that little irritating name "The Singing, Ringing Tree". For me a tree looks a different, but nevertheless you mostly always hear really strange sounds on this windy place, because wind blows through the tubes. Be sure to visit it, when you are in that area. More geographic information available at Worldflicks and a video documentary available at YouTube.
Yes I know, you all will now come with your comparison to Kraftwerk, but why not? This Japanese people are really creative with their stuff and at least, most of the things they build are analogue and/or work with high voltage.
I didn't know that in Japan they only have 100 volt in their homes. Most I like the complete analogue Koi-Beat sequencer.
Found at Suicide Bots, the coolest robotblog of the moment.
This Wind Harp is a cool thing. It consist of long metal wires (I suppose piano strings, I once made a similar instrument, maybe I will turn it into a Wind Harp now?) that are tied and attached to a Guitar pickup for electric Guitars. The swinging of the ropes make sounds and the pickups get this sounds, to be further processed. The neat thing is, that Bill and Mark Sherman (Blog) set up a 24/7 livestream on Shoutcast. You can live-listen to this harp "until it breaks" and this actually sounds like cool ambient music.
"Eggshell Sound Synthesis" is a new method to generate sounds with analogue gear. It is meant as a very early prototype to give the bots physical ability to speech, apart form just using chip-sounds. As you can see we named it "Eggshell Sound Synthesis" and there is a lot of things to work out, but anyway - we made a start.
This weblog is dedicated to fresh and alternate views on robotics. We will focus especially in music robots, toy robots, play and game and robots as well as the culture of robots. We are the the first robot-blog from Germany - and maybe from Europe - that write regularly on this topic! This blog is made by the same people around the Digital Tools Magazine. We will have some nice surprises later this year, so stay tuned!
