http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm435icmFSQ

This video captures a human + machine drum jam, with composer Patrick Flanagan and his collection of drum-playing robots performing Jazari.

The piece is named after a 12th century Arab polymath, mathemetician, inventor, engineer and artist Al-Jazari.

Jazari is a great example of a growing trend of virtual musicians that play physical instruments. These include music robots, like Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion, the Robotic Gamelan or Felix’s Machines, and systems that combine robotic musicians with some degree of musical virtual intelligence, like the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra and the The Fauxharmonic Orchestra.

Flanagan’s approach may be more accurately considered augmented musicianship. See the video below for Flanagan’s explanation of the details on how this works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b-tWK6AeLY