Strike Up the Band: An Electronic Accompanist Jumps In

By ANNE EISENBERG



ONY has a hit product in Aibo, its robotic pooch that can ride a skateboard, respond to voice commands, take snapshots with its digital camera and play with a ball.

Now, for those who want a more refined electronic sidekick, a French researcher at Sony's Computer Science Laboratory in Paris has come up with the makings of a musical companion rather than a canine one.


Advertisement

< !--
var plugin = 0;
if (navigator.mimeTypes && navigator.mimeTypes["application/x-shockwave-flash"] && navigator.mimeTypes["application/x-shockwave-flash"].enabledPlugin) {
if (navigator.plugins && navigator.plugins["Shockwave Flash"])
plugin = 1;
}
else if (navigator.userAgent && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("MSIE")>=0 && (navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Windows 95")>=0 | | navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Windows 98")>=0 | | navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Windows NT")>=0)) {
document.write('

Moderator:  Admin, Diki, Kerry