Title: Development of a low-cost robotic pan flute

Authors: Praneel Chand; Kishen Kumar; Kishan Kumar

Addresses: Department of Vehicle Systems and Materials, Department of Engineering, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand ' School of Engineering and Physics, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji ' School of Engineering and Physics, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji

Abstract: Music is a popular form of entertainment for human beings. Instruments are often played by experts in studios or at live performances. Digital or digitised (computer) music is also popular amongst today's listeners. However, there are subtle differences between the sound of a real instrument and digital music. Moreover, the physical movement of real instruments creates a different atmosphere. Hence, this paper addresses the development of a robotic pan flute that enables a real instrument to be played by non-expert musicians. The various subsystems of the low-cost prototype solution are detailed and its performance is evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the system can produce the desired (theoretical) music notes and is robust to variations in compressed air pressure over the tested range.

Keywords: music; automation; real instruments; pan flute; low-cost; microcontroller; LabVIEW.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMR.2018.094917

International Journal of Intelligent Machines and Robotics, 2018 Vol.1 No.2, pp.153 - 170

Received: 05 Jun 2018
Accepted: 12 Jul 2018
Published online: 26 Sep 2018 *

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