[ Jurgen Goering wrote in 030908 MMDigest: ]

> My case in point: when I tell people about a push-up player and
> describe it as a machine designed to mechanically play pianos,
> I get a moderately interested response.  When I tell them about
> a 100-year-old digital robot which plays the piano keys with
> mechanical fingers, it really sparks people's imaginations and
> their eyes begin to light up.

Except that "robot" is a misrepresentation of a foot-played push-up
with dynamic controls on it, which is more like an extension of the
piano keyboard.  If you play one of these by setting the tempo at the
value shown on the roll, fold your arms and pedal steadily without any
reference to the music, then, yes, it's a robot.  This would not be how
Edwin Votey the inventor conceived the first (push-up) Pianola, though.

For clarity, a reproducing push-up, a true robot, is better labelled
(after the Welte-Mignon) a "Vorsetzer".

Dan Wilson

 [ And there is also the Duo-Art push-up player (Vorsetzer) named
 [ "The Robot", built by Gordon Iles for Gerald Stonehill, and
 [ featured in audio recordings published by Nimbus.  -- Robbie