Robotic Pipe Organ

The story of a girl who steps into StudentRND. Intrigued and inspired by the possibilities, she explores the world of technology, and changes the world.


Change the World - StudentRND





ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Background

Music, science and mathematics have been closely linked since the dawn of time. There's no greater example of this than the pipe organ. Developed around the fifteenth or sixteenth century, they've been a staple in the Western classical music ever since.

But little has changed since then. They've made them smaller and easier to transport, but no one has attached a robot to one even once.

Goal

We want to build a robotic pipe organ that anyone can play and watch over the internet. We will build it out of 25 PVC pipes allowing a full two octaves of notes to be played. Becuase of its inexpensive design, we'll create a set of plans on Instructables.com as well so that anyone can build their own pipe organ as well. We expect to have this done by the end of summer.

What your money will be used for

We'll use the money to fund parts for the organ (including pipes, motors, and electronics), and live broadcast equipment (a netbook). Tools are provided by StudentRND and its volunteers.

Technical Details
The organ will be played with 25 servos opening and closing valves. They will be controlled with a Propeller microprocessor which will interpret input MIDI files. Files can be uploaded via a companion website that will also live-stream the organ playing music so the instrument will be truly accessible to all.

Air will be provided by a high volume centrifugal fan into a windchest, as is common in most pipe organs.

The size will be comparable to a standard upright grand piano, with a MIDI keyboard attached instead of a mechanical one.

Who We Are

We're StudentRND, a student-run nonprofit organization that inspires students to learn more about science and technology. During the summer, we run a workspace where students gather and work on cool science and technology projects. We also partner with local high school robotics teams to offer them a space to work over the summer.