Computer Scientists are Making Music with Unmanned Aircraft

Music is the universal language. Two people living on opposite sides of the world could listen to the same song and enjoy it for its same qualities. Since its creation, music has been able to transcend race, ethnicity, and continents. And up until now, it also required human beings to play the instruments — until drones came along.

KMel Robotics was founded in 2011 by two graduates of the University of Pennsylvania. Their mission focuses on developing research platforms that push the limits of experimental robotics. KMel develops everything from low-level hardware to complete systems — all capable of autonomous operation. The founders, Alex Kushleyev and Daniel Mellinger, describe themselves as “experts in hardware design and high-performance control” in the field of robotics. And they have just proved that statement to be completely accurate.

With their latest project, the duo programmed a team of drones to sync together and perform music. The hexroters are able to play instruments, like a single-string guitar, drums, pianos, and bells to produce a beautiful symphony of music created entirely by flying robots. The three pieces performed by the drones are: “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “Carol of the Bells”, and “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Although these songs aren’t contemporary, they are widely recognized as being classics in the field of music. Anyone that listens to this can appreciate just how difficult this must have been.

This past weekend, they took their band of drones on a mini concert tour and performed at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. Thousands of scientists and engineers in attendance stared in amazement as Kushleyev and Mellinger expertly flew the unmanned aircraft and conducted a beautiful classical music medley. KMel hasn’t explained how they were able to accomplish their drone tunes, but have acknowledged they had some help from the Intel Corporation and Lockheed Martin. The help was obviously substantial because their latest performance is a vast improvement from their 2012 rendition of the ”James Bond” theme.

This isn’t the first time KMel Robotics has made headlines with their drones. In the past, they’ve held drone art installations, performed drone light shows at Cannes, and created a drone commercial for Lexus. As drone technology keeps improving, one can only imagine what they’ll think of next. And who knows, maybe there will come a time when two people across the globe can join a virtual drone band and go on tour without ever leaving their house.