This virtuoso drummer, equipped with , is a three-dimensional visualization of the G1 Unitree robot. It plays on a drum set that is color-coded, allowing for what the university team described as “expressive, high-precision playing,” according to a research paper uploaded to the preprint database ArXiv.
The concept emerged spontaneously over a cup of coffee between the co-authors of the project—artificial intelligence researchers Asad Ali Shahid and Loris Rovedi, as reported by Live Science.
“We were discussing how are becoming increasingly capable of performing various tasks, yet they rarely engage in creative and expressive fields. We thought, what if such a robot tried its hand at a creative role, like making music? Drumming seemed like the perfect option since it is rhythmic and requires quick coordination of all limbs,” the scientists explained.
What Else Is Known About This Unusual Drummer?
In a video published on YouTube, the scientists showcased how the Robot Drummer imitates the drumming rhythms of popular songs by bands like Linkin Park and The Police. However, despite their efforts to achieve excellent results from the AI, the robot drummer’s rhythm was not flawless.
The researchers emphasized that mastering any musical instrument is a challenging task for a humanoid robot. It is a multifaceted process that requires instant reactions, quick contact, and coordinated movements of both hands and feet.
The scientists trained the robot drummer using a trial-and-error method, employing RL. This type of machine learning allows the AI agent to learn decision-making by interacting with its environment. The agent receives rewards for accurately reproducing rhythms.
According to the developers, each song was presented to the robot as a sequence of precisely timed contact events, signaling when and how hard to hit the drums. The team reported that the Robot Drummer developed human-like skills, such as cross-handed strikes, stick changes, and coordinated movements across the drum set.
The development demonstrates the potential of reinforcement learning for robots, which may one day replace humans in creative fields, such as music. However, many professional musicians who listened to the Robot Drummer’s performance disagree with this prospect. They believe the AI drummer still has a lot of practicing to do.
During the study, the Robot Drummer participated in a large-scale experiment involving 30 popular songs across various styles. There are still many pieces ahead for it to perform, ultimately proving that artificial intelligence can be a quick learner in almost any domain.