robot drummer has plenty of rhythm on [technabob]

robot drummer has plenty of rhythm

posted: March 22nd, 2008 28 comments by technabob

This little yellow robot does one thing really well. He likes to play drums. What’s funny about the little guy is that he likes to play music on just about any surface other than an actual drum.

Yellow Drum Machine Robot

The Yellow Drum Machine drives around the room looking for things that might make an interesting sound when tapped on. If he likes what he hears, he starts going to town with a little riff. Once he’s bored, he moves on, looking for something else to make noise with.

click to view this video clip

As the ‘bot drives around, he avoids obstacles until it detects an object that looks like it might be a nice musical surface, takes some audio samples, and if he finds the sound to be pleasing, composes a little matching rhythm using the original sound sample and plays a little song.

click to view this video clip

Created by robot hacker fritsl, the little drummer dude is cobbled together from a variety of odd parts, including a PICAXE 28 microcontroller, this sound sampler, a couple of geared motors, an old wood cheese crate and plenty of hot glue.

[Let’s Make Robots via MAKE]

28 comments comment

1. PiccoloSocrate | March 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm

What a wonderful toy!!!
Could I buy it?!?
How does it cost?
2. nik | March 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm

hahah, now that’s one awesome robot! really clever idea you had, when you constructed him i can imagine how it would look like to have half a dozen of these roam around, just design a guitar / harp one and you have your own little robotic symphony ^^
3. ITrush | March 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 pm

Very interesting, how about some little jammin’, I love music too… Stumbled!

nhick
http://www.itrush.com
4. Daily Tech Impressions | March 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 pm

Thats a pretty cool little robot.
5. Michael | March 23rd, 2008 at 12:23 am

That is sooo cute!!!!!!!!!!! Gimme!
6. Pope | March 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 am

Well, I must say, that is awesome. Maybe future bands will set this thing loose and write down what it does for music. Better, get rid of the annoying drummers who always show up to practice late. Hehe. Overall, awesome, and I want one. Whoo.
7. technabob | March 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 am

ITrush, thanks for the Stumble!
8. Jared | March 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 pm

If i were a robot, i would be this robot… Period.
9. Jared | March 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am

I am a Jared too, and I agree.
10. fritsl | March 24th, 2008 at 11:41 am

Hi all, thank you so very much
It is actually quite easy to build robots of this kind yourself, so you do not have to buy one - of course this one took a whole weekend, but you can make robots that are cute and fun in just 2 hours if you like.

I have made instructions on how to, on letsmakerobots.com (under “first robot”)

Thanks again, very inspiring comments, thanks
/ fritsl
11. Teedious.com | March 25th, 2008 at 6:46 pm

So cute - this little guy would be an absolute riot to have around!
12. andy cutbirth | March 26th, 2008 at 8:15 am

science is a powerful tool.I t ca be used for good or evil,it depends on the person wielding the tool. But this is just ridiculous
13. manchicken | March 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

What fun. Makes me want to buy my kid a drumset. If a robot can do it, surely a baby could do it.
14. Kelly | March 27th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

What a cute little robot! Nice to see people being clever and creative instead of just zoning out in front of the computer like me…
15. Sam | March 31st, 2008 at 11:08 am

“If a robot can do it, surely a baby could do it.” ??
Can your baby examine volcanoes, build cars, check the safety of nuclear reactors or survive landmines? …If the answer to any of the above is yes, you’re awesome
16. haiamehs | April 4th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

nice, you’ve been stumbledupon.
17. technabob | April 4th, 2008 at 11:16 pm

Stumble is my friend. Thanks for the thumbs up!
18. Chelsea | April 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

That little dude is GREAT! If i was a toy manufacturer, or any manufacturer for that matter,I’d totally produce these for you! In kits of course, cause robot kits are tons of fun!

by the way; manchicken and bob: of course babies can do all those things! they just dont always survive it…
19. random.user | April 7th, 2008 at 11:47 pm

I also stumbled my way here, i love that little robot and feel like we’ll be seeing more of his sisters and brothers really soon. in a big way.
20. Rebekah | April 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

This is just adorable. I like its “eyes” that even move rhythmically. Really clever. I can imagine that if you knew the basics this wouldn’t be a phd-level project either. Imagine if Honda or another top robotics company got working on something based around this….

People say robots cant be creative. Everyone knows that a drum track from a computer, digital drum pad or keyboard etc is never as good as a real life drummer in the flesh.

But this combines creativity. Taking inspiration from things it picks up around itself. It can make music it hasn’t already got programmed into it, which would be unique to whichever environment it is in!

This is just great! Well done fritsl, its things like this that keep me Stumbling!! (even the way it has to be pushed in the right direction now and then gives it character like a puppy or a toddler!)
21. colin | April 9th, 2008 at 10:41 am

This thing is really awesome. Absolutely made my day seeing it, lol
22. Eliezer | April 9th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

Wow… really impressive… how’d you come up with this, this is genius! I Stumbled here and I’m glad I did.
23. SirStick | April 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm

Thats really cool, and amazingly inventive! Now it just needs to be able to be able to smile when its finished!
24. peter | May 2nd, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Excellent work. Any chance of putting the plans online?
25. Robot | May 2nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm

“As the ‘bot drives around, he avoids obstacles until…”

really? looks like he runs right into them
26. robin | May 2nd, 2008 at 4:45 pm

if you look up the word “awesome” in a dictionary, this is what you find.
27. Dave | May 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm

At human scale this is pretty cool. If you were a kitten it would be a horrible, mocking bully; beating you while making festive music from your sampled laments!
28. MyaloMark | May 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm

Regarding your request for anyone who might be interested in mass-producing these:
I worked for Hasbro for a few years and was amazed at the unworkable condition of many of the inventor-submissions that came our way.
Your robot works from the get-go, which is a real plus.
It is quite expensive though. The toy industry’s list of priorities begins with product safety foremost, but cost follows as a close second. If the profit margin is too slim, your toy will never be produced.
If you really want to sell your idea, get yourself a lawyer who has worked with product introduction before. If your idea is good enough, he should work on spec. He’ll be getting a big chunk of the money when you get paid, but he’ll also keep you from getting robbed.
If you do go ahead with seling your robot to Hasbro, or any other toy company, don’t expect to see your toy on the shelves really soon. When it does (if ever-toy companies aren’t beyond buying a toy just to bury it so the competition doesn’t get their hands on it) get produced it will be cheaply made, with far fewer extras than your model. Cost is everything, as I said.
If you get turned down by the big boys, just remember that there are quite a few small toy concerns out there who can actively compete with the Mattells and Hasbros of the world simply because they don’t have the same overhead as the biggies.
In my time in the industry, I saw winners and losers. I would give your little robot an 80 - 85% chance of success as is. Good luck, and remember that opportunity only knocks once.