I got this in an email today. If you’ve never seen it, take a look. It is really impressive.
This incredible machine was built as a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa. Amazingly, 97% of the machine’s components came from John Deere Industries and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft Iowa, yes farm equipment!
It took the team a combined 13,029 hours of set-up, alignment, calibration, and tuning before filming this video, but as you can see it was WELL worth the effort.
It is now on display in the Matthew Gerhard Alumni Hall at the University and is already slated to be donated to the Smithsonian.
Isn’t that something? When I first saw it, I watched closely several times thinking it was a computer simulation. DrummerGirl told me there are many videos/songs that they have composed (she’s was music major and has a *beat* on these things). It is so freaky.
Think about someone getting that idea. Then, think about the first time they shared that idea with someone else – and what the likely response was. We hold ourselves back from greatness with practicality. (Of course, having even a tiny bit of talent helps, but, you get my point.)