Absolut Quartet - rubber ball-powered, music-making contraption

The Absolut Quartet has to be one of the coolest toys we’ve played with on the ‘net in a long time. First, let’s dive into what the thing actually is.

The Absolut Quartet is “a multi-instrumental music-making machine combining art and technology to create the equivalent of a classic human quartet. With a twist. It consists of three robotic “musicians” - as an online user you become the fourth musician.”

The first robotic musician is a marimba. 50 robotic cannons shoot rubber balls 6 feet into the air. When the balls land, they hit the marimba keys. The second musician is based on the idea of the “finger on the wine glass.” There are a series of glasses, tuned to different pitches, that are all spinning at the same time. These glasses are “played” by small robotic fingers. Finally, an array of percussive instruments rounds out the robotic trio. Read more »