Gibson Robotic Guitar

Robotics is likely the next major technology driver for digital electronics.  One very cool application of robotics that I read about is a self tuning guitar by Gibson [1].  A Les Paul guitar was modified to add some electronics, sensors, and motors so that it could be self tuning.  Basically the guitar contains the following components [1]:

• Servo motors to adjust tension on each string
• Piezoelectric transducers to measure frequency of sound
• 8-bit microcontroller to read the sensors and adjust the motors in a closed loop control to achieve the desired tuning

The components were added in an unobtrusive way to minimize any impact on the aesthetics or performance of the Les Paul [1].

The system also uses LED's to guide a user to manually perform the intonation process (I don't know what that means as a non musician) [1].  

The robotics and control system were designed by Tronical GmbH, a German company.  More info about the robot guitar can be found on Gibson's web site.  It looks like it will sell for about $2500.

[1] Ogando, Joseph. February 25, 2008. "Gibson's Robot Guitar Tunes Itself." Design News.