Spectators witnessed multiple performances this year by the University of Idaho marching band with the addition of a robotic drum set that mimics percussionist Mat Schaefer’s every move.
Mat Schaefer, head of the drum line in the Sound of Idaho marching band, practices using the robot named “Bandbeesten,” the recently completed project from the UI engineering department. Bandbeesten has already been used for three public performances.
The robot consists of a conventional drum set with three legs attached. A basketball is connected to each leg to stabilize the drum cart and promote movement. The drum set is equipped with internal machinery constructed by the UI engineering department to move with the beat, along with 30 LED lights added with the help of the computer science team.
When it came to adapting to new technology, Schaefer said he had to learn quickly.
“As a music major, especially percussion major, you learn to deal with unexpected changes to the show,” Schaefer said. I didn’t even know I was going to play the robot until about a week before the San Jose State game on Nov. 3.”
Discussions about the construction of the robot were a much longer process.
Director of athletic bands Spencer Martin said he started talking about collaboration between the marching band and the engineering department for the robotic drum set after he was hired in July.
Martin said he attended graduate school with Dan Bukvich, professor of percussion and theory, who introduced him to professor Edwin Odom in mid-July, the engineering department design team and the robot prototypes they had begun to build.
Overseeing the teams, Odom said it appeared challenging for the team to perfect the sensing device to detect the drummer’s movements and make the robot lightweight.
“It was the project that I found related to my personal interests the most, so it was the one I wrote my bid for,” said UI senior and design team member Chris Ohlinger. “I look at this project as my first real engineering experience because it had real world consequences aside from receiving a poor grade.”
Ohlinger said he was impressed with how the performances went with the robot, but they were not without challenges along the way.
“I think the biggest challenge for me was watching the schedule, knowing the debut was going to be in front of such a large crowd,” Ohlinger said.
The ence Department became involved with the project after Martin was introduced to computer science professor Bob Rinker.
“Our part was the LED lights, which was kind of an off-shoot of another project that our organization has worked on for a couple of years,” Rinker said. “We put some high-powered LED lights in the front-facing room of the LED powers, controlled them in the front basement and synchronized them to music.”
He said a circuit board controls the LED lights.
“We designed the software that goes on the microcontroller that turns the LED lights on and off,” Rinker said.
The marching band went along with the idea.
“We took that concept and lit the drum set and the entire drum line,” Martin said.
Rinker said he thinks the robot adds to the entire show.
“The drum cart itself is impressive and this just adds a little sparkle to the whole project,” Rinker said.
Martin gave a lot of credit to his trombone player, Josh Armstrong.
Martin said Armstrong played a major role not only in the performance, but also designing the tower lights.
“What’s been really special is we have a number of students in the band that are engineering students and computer science majors,” Martin said. “It’s been really special seeing these students in both of their elements.”
The faculty of both departments said this accomplishment is only the beginning.
“This has opened up a whole line of discussion about additional robots. The marching band might be interested in several more of these. There’s also been talks of getting other departments involved,” Odom said. “There’s a potential for a future life for this. I’m just not quite sure what it is yet.”
The collaboration of departments was significant to Martin.
“They were approaching this from a very scientific point of view and were approaching this from a very artistic point of view and to have those two worlds meet was very special,” Martin said. “There’s an energy to the unexpected. If you’re not going to put yourself out there and try something new, you’re just going through your motions.”
Aaron Wolfe can be reached at [email protected]