Animatronics Player Devices
By Craig Brougher
Pete Docter asked if player pianos and animatronics are the same thing. I would say yes and no. However, in the Deuches Museum in Munich, Germany resides the "remains" of an animatronics trumpeteer whose only movement was that of the umbuchre of his leather covered lips while blowing a valveless trumpet of the spanish variety. It was said that he could blow two notes with equal purity and strength (called splitting the note) which has only been accomplished by a few musicians, today. The mechanism could also blow "Tierces, quads, quints, and octaves of equal purity." Those who live close to the museum should try to see it. My wife has seen it, and has brought us back a postcard of the same. I don't think there is anyone knowledgeable enough today to fix it.
Another device built by a Swiss engineer (who else) actually played a real piano with a mechanism operating his arms, wrists, and fingers. He was programmed, I believe, with pinned rotating steel drums and could play a dozen classical tunes (or there-abouts). I have no idea where this machine is, today, but they said it was a reasonable performance. There have also been others.
Actually, a player piano came out of design work for milling operations, particularly in clothing mills, I understand. The folding books were replaced with a continuous paper roll, and then the idea was extended to control all kinds of machinery after that.
While the animatronics designs are controlled by computer, now, likewise are we also advancing players into this field as well. The best of both worlds is a marriage of software and pneumatics. For the money spent and the reliability gained, there is nothing more reliable than pneumatics. Pneumatically powered sewing machines using the proper coverings and materials will never wear out. They finally get old and rot, but that sure beats dragging them back and forth from the repair shop. They can also be run very fast and they are quiet.
If you remember the little coin purses that used to unfold when you squeezed them, it is possible to make pneumatics similar to that which have a lot of torque, and a lot of possibilities. The power received for the money expended, plus the reliability which has never been equalled in this sort of device, makes pneumatics a logical choice for many devices. It allows the devices also to be restorable 100 years later. I think it has a lot going for it, and more work should be done to implement it.
Craig B.
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(Message sent Mon 30 Sep 1996, 14:18:21 GMT, from time zone GMT.) |
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