Fulfilling the lifelong dreams of kids in school twanging their rulers, XA10C4 has created a fully automated robot ruler player. The machine automates the length of the ruler with stepper motors and a solenoid hits the ruler to generate sound. It's a pretty tasty DIY project, but not the most tonal rendition we've heard from household objects. It'd be interesting to hear it play some kind of percussive pattern, as I feel that's where it's strengths lie.
I built Ruler Drive, a DIY ruler-playing robot that can perform music via MIDI control using an aluminum frame and 3D-printed parts. The robot changes the effective length of the ruler with stepper motors to produce different pitches, while a solenoid strikes the ruler to generate the sound.
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