UCLA Students Innovate with Self-Playing Piano Project
How two UCLA students built a self-playing piano that can do the impossible
University Of California, Los Angeles
Image: University Of California, Los Angeles
Karina Bender and George Grigoryan, students at UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering, created a self-playing piano that can play all 88 keys simultaneously. Their project, which took several months of planning and engineering, showcases the intersection of music and technology, culminating in a successful demonstration of their innovative design.
- 01The self-playing piano project was developed in UCLA's Engineering Makerspace, which receives over 10,000 visits each academic quarter.
- 02Bender and Grigoryan utilized MIDI files and solenoids to enable the piano to play itself, overcoming significant engineering challenges.
- 03The duo's breakthrough moment came when the piano successfully played Frédéric Chopin’s 'Revolutionary Étude in C Minor' after multiple iterations.
- 04Their project aimed to push the limits of self-playing technology, allowing all 88 keys to be played simultaneously, which is typically impractical.
- 05Bender and Grigoryan documented their process in a 30-page manual and plan to showcase their invention at the Open Sauce science fair in San Francisco.
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Karina Bender and George Grigoryan, students at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, embarked on an ambitious project to create a self-playing piano capable of playing all 88 keys simultaneously. The project, which began in fall 2024, involved extensive planning, prototyping, and problem-solving, utilizing components like solenoids and MIDI files to achieve their goal. After months of hard work, the piano played its first recognizable song, Frédéric Chopin’s 'Revolutionary Étude in C Minor,' marking a significant milestone. The duo faced various engineering challenges, including aligning the solenoids and managing the power requirements to play all keys at once. Their project culminated in a successful demonstration of a piece known as 'Rush E,' which is physically impossible for a human to play. Bender and Grigoryan have documented their work in a detailed manual and plan to present their creation at the Open Sauce science fair in San Francisco, continuing to refine their innovative design.
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The project enhances the educational experience at UCLA by showcasing practical applications of engineering and creativity.
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