Robo-Sax Quartet: A Semi-Automatic Robotic Saxophone System for Augmented Ensemble Performance

Gou Koutaki; Masatoshi Hamanaka

Robo-Sax Quartet: A Semi-Automatic Robotic Saxophone System for Augmented Ensemble Performance
Image credit: Gou Koutaki; Masatoshi Hamanaka

Abstract:

We present a semi-automatic robotic saxophone system that assists saxophone key operations using servo-motor–driven actuators. The system augments conventional acoustic saxophones by supporting fingering actions while leaving breath control and musical expression to the human performer. We developed four robotic saxophones—soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone—which can be performed simultaneously to enable a robot-assisted saxophone quartet. Due to differences in instrument size, key layout, and performer posture across the four saxophone types, the placement and mechanism of actuators required careful design. Through iterative prototyping and experimentation, we identified suitable actuator configurations for each instrument. To support intuitive performance, we developed a dedicated music-game–style graphical user interface, enabling wireless communication and battery-powered operation. This design allows performers to handle the instruments in a manner comparable to conventional saxophone performance. The robotic saxophone offers the advantage of reliable and error-free execution of rapid fingering patterns that are challenging for human players. Through performance demonstrations, we show that the proposed system achieves practical usability as an augmented musical instrument.