The Pianist Hand Concert: Thing goes to Juilliard

If there's anything that's more fun to decorate your desk with than a disembodied robotic hand, we haven't found it yet. While most models perform some gimmicky, repetitive stunt like tapping their digits or flipping you the bird, The Pianist Hand Concert takes the classy route by moving its fingers in sync with one of six pre-programmed classical pieces. Stealing a page from The Clapper's handbook, the battery-powered Pianist starts doing its thing when an acoustical sensor picks up the sound of a clap, however, it's unclear if turning it off is achieved with a second clap or by throwing it against the wall. Although we doubt that you could learn to play Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" by watching this device go through the motions, it would still seem to provide yet another amusing distraction when you're trying to slack off at work. One thing you don't want to do with the $17 claw is bring it to a book signing featuring Margaret Atwood's robotic LongPen device -- we made that mistake once, and after a few minutes of small talk about the arts, the two mechanical extremities locked themselves in a death-grip of a hand hold that terrified innocent children and took four Barnes & Noble security guards to break up.

[Via book of joe]

[Dels @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:58PM]

Too much rock for one robotic hand.

[Ferny @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:18PM]

if it is meant to be "follow-along-with", why make it clear?

[Russ @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:33PM]

Wow...they actually spelled Juilliard correctly. Rare...I could use one that plays violin.

[Brad Hill @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:40PM]

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is an orchestral work, not a piano piece. Maybe pick one of the 32 piano sonatas to make your point? Anyway, as an amateur pianist, I've got to get my hands on one of these hands. I want to put it on my piano while I'm practicing, and hope it doesn't strangle me when I hit a clunker.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 23rd 2006 6:13PM]

What's the sound of one of these clapping?

-and if it happened in the woods, would anyone hear it?

[HeadMajor @ Oct 23rd 2006 6:18PM]

Isn't that the hand from the old outer limits episode "Demon with a Glass Hand"...?
(my opinion the best outer limits EVER...)

[snark @ Oct 23rd 2006 6:42PM]

ummm correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this part of the plot of Terminator 2 where "Anhnold" needed to distroy a cybernetic arm left from the previous T-800. Is this the beginning of Skynet? I, for one, hope not.

[Farris @ Oct 23rd 2006 7:08PM]

I wonder if I could hack it to thumb wrestle with me...

[Eric @ Oct 25th 2006 4:16PM]

Does "$17 device" mean it's available and actually costs $17?

I doubt it, but it'd be nice if it did.

[Poops @ Oct 23rd 2006 11:40PM]

$17? For a robotic hand? Of my own? Sweet cripes, this is going way up on my christmas list. It'll be a kickass companion to the wooden hand (and lower arm) I've already got.

Speaking of which, this would be awesome for folks who've already got prosthetic hands. Pull off the "serious" prosthetic and stuff this one into your cuff for some delightufl laghs around the office. Put a glove on it if you really wanna make your coworkers wonder for a second. Tell you got an appointment with Luke Skywalker's doctor, and he hooked you up with this.

Dude, this thing freakin rocks.

[John Sununu @ Oct 24th 2006 12:34PM]

I, for one, welcome our Fifth Symphony playing robotic hand overlords.

[Matt B @ Oct 24th 2006 8:23PM]

I'm getting 2 of these and some gloves. I will be know and the greatest piano player, ever. No one would know, because of the gloves. I'll make millions, die from alcohol poisoning. 5 years after my death, E! would do a True Hollywood Story on me and be ostricized by the music community. Millions of dollars, here I come!!