On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its activity, the musical instrument manufacturer Roland presented the 50th Anniversary Concept Model Piano, a prototype of a piano with flying speakers.

The body of the concept piano, designed in collaboration with furniture manufacturer Karimoku, is made of Japanese oak and consists of one solid piece. Seven speakers are built into the body, which provide 360-degree sound distribution.

To improve the tone, the piano also has additional speakers, which are installed on flying drones and take into account the specific characteristics of the given hall or room.

The drones are controlled by a special low-latency channel, for which special communication procedures have been developed. They allow musicians to control the position of the drones while playing the piano to create an optimal sound.

The website of the Roland company said that such technology is used for the first time in the world.

The piano lid has a built-in touchscreen that can be used to make video calls and watch Roland tutorial videos. The display can also be used for Zenbeats digital audio workstation, displaying musical notes or working with USB MIDI and Bluetooth connected devices.

The 50th Anniversary Concept Model Piano was unveiled at the annual CES 2023 trade show, which was held in Las Vegas from January 5-8.

The piano is not on sale yet, and whether it will ever have serial production, the company does not provide details.