Musical instrument company Roland has unveiled the 50th Anniversary Concept Model Piano, a prototype piano with flying speakers.
Designed in collaboration with furniture manufacturer Karimoku, the concept piano’s solid cast wood cabinet is made from Japanese oak and delivers deep piano tones from the speakers. Speakers with seven speakers each are built into the cabinet, providing 360-degree sound propagation.
To improve the sound, taking into account the characteristics of a particular room, additional speakers installed on flying drones are provided. The drones operate over a dedicated, low-latency communication channel for which special communication protocols have been developed, allowing musicians to control the position of the drones while playing music to create the optimal sound.
The piano lid is said to have a built-in touch screen that can be used to make video calls and watch instructional videos from Roland. The display can also be used to play Zenbeats digital audio workstation, show sheet music, or work with USB MIDI and Bluetooth connected devices.