Just when you thought the smoky, improvisational soul of jazz was the final frontier safe from automation, Masatoshi Hamanaka has gatecrashed the stage with a robotic saxophone. Spotted at ICRA 2026, this intricate assembly of servos and sensors features a bespoke automatic fingering system that’s more than just a technical flex. It’s the opening act for a planned robotic quartet, proving that even the most soulful solos aren’t safe from a well-timed actuator. For the session musicians of the world, the competition just got a lot more brassy.
