This is the same idea a few years apart.
The early version used a large rail-based mechanism. The current version is much more compact and modular, but the core idea is still the same: using Arduino-controlled actuators to physically play a real guitar.
Still a lot I want to improve, but it’s fun looking back at how far the mechanism has evolved.
In 2020, I was new to Arduino, coding, and electronics.
I studied shipbuilding, so none of this was really my field. I just had a strange idea: could I build something that could play a real guitar?
The first prototype was made with popsicle sticks and cheap servos. It worked — barely — but that was enough to keep going.
After getting my first 3D printer, I kept redesigning the mechanisms, control system, and software.
Six years later, I've gone through six major generations, and I'm still working on it.
I'm still building.
I'm still struggling.
But I'm still moving.
This is a short video of how the project evolved over the years.
I’ve been developing this removable guitar-playing system for several years.
It now supports two performance modes:
Full automatic mode — the system handles both fretting and picking.
Assisted mode — the system handles the fretting while the player strums or picks.
The sound comes from the real guitar strings, not recorded audio.
The controller is ESP32-based, coordinating multiple servo actuators. Some of the main challenges have been fretting timing, servo synchronization, calibration, and mechanical noise.
This video shows both modes.
I added a “Quick Compose” feature to my ESP32-powered guitar robot.
Now I can enter a chord progression, choose fingering and BPM, select a rhythm pattern, and let the robot perform it on a real acoustic guitar.
The audio is not played from a speaker — the strings are physically pressed and played by the machine.
Still improving the timing, servo motion, noise, and setup process, but it’s getting closer to a usable system.