HARK: The Sentient Harp
Sep 29, 2022
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HARK is a robotic harp powered by two I2C-linked Arduinos (a Mega and a Leonardo), 23 soft silicone fingers, and a carefully choreographed mess of servos and wires. Feed it a MIDI file, and HARK will pluck out the song you desire. Designed for expressive, autonomous performance, this project blends mechanical complexity with musical subtlety.
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Preface
Most people, when they imagine a harp, think of angels or orchestras. I thought of 23 servo motors screaming in harmony. HARK started as a dare to myself: could I make a machine that felt like it was playing music, not just outputting notes? Something that didn’t hide its mechanics but leaned into them—every twitchy servo, every trembling finger made visible. It wasn’t about elegance, not at first. It was about making a harp that looked like it was built in a garage by someone who liked both Bach and battle bots.