Baxter the Robot and the Interactive Orchestra
Trained a Baxter robot to play marimba and improvise jazz, performing composer Charlie Chan's work with a live orchestra at the Sydney Opera House and jazz with a live trio in Chicago.
Live robotic performances at the Sydney Opera House and at a global conference in Chicago to audiences of hundreds.
Baxter was a collaborative robot that Justin trained to make music. Rather than automating away human tasks, Baxter learned to play marimba mallets and, in a separate project, to improvise jazz.
At the Sydney Opera House, Baxter performed composer Charlie Chan's work alongside a live ensemble that included cellist Nathan Waks and pianist Matt McMahen. For the Baxter jazz project, Justin recorded a pianist's improvisation during rehearsal, trained Baxter on that data, and performed live with a hired trio to an audience of more than 500 in Chicago.
