ZOOZbeat Founder Recognized By CNN For ‘Shimon’: Improvising Marimba-Playing Robot

Posted: May 3rd, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Video, ZOOZbeat - Media Coverage, ZOOZbeat - News, ZOOZbeat Pro - Media Coverage, ZooZBeat | Tags: "Gil Weinberg", music, remixing, robot, shimon, ZOOZ Mobile, ZooZBeat, ZOOZmobile | No Comments »

What does a head-bobbing, marimba-playing robot have in common with the ZOOZbeat app?

Both new musical instruments were the brain-child of ZOOZ Mobile, Inc. Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Gil Weinberg who is also the Founder and Director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and both new musical instruments were featured in CNN stories.

“The ad might read, ‘Percussionist wanted, preferably marimba player, for jazz-influenced band. Must be able to improvise, bob head and wear metal,” writes CNN Reporter Valerie Streit in her April 29, 2010 story. “And the perfect candidate? It may be Shimon, a marimba-playing robot that, despite having four arms, is remarkably human. It has a shiny aluminum-steel head that bobs with the music and acknowledges other people when they’re nearby.”

And, when the new ZOOZbeat app launched in October 2009, CNN Reporter John Sutter wrote: “The iPhone’s accelerometer, which allows users to control apps by titling the phone, makes the ZOOZbeat app possible, said [Dr.] Gil Weinberg, director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and founder of ZOOZbeat.”

The CNN stories feature video of ‘Shimon’ - the head-bobbing, marimba-playing robot and the ZOOZbeat app.

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