There's been a lot of activity in robotic music in the last couple of years, perhaps inspired by Pat Metheny's interest in bringing back the collection of robotically actuated instruments known as an Orchestrion. The Trons are a robot band from New Zealand who apply the principle of the orchestrion to their own brand of rock music. Greg Locke wrote to tell us about The Trons:

I run a robot rock band in New Zealand called the Trons. They have been going about 3 years now and have played over 80 live shows, mainly in NZ but also including two trips to Europe. All the songs are original and all instruments are played by the robots. The robots are built mainly from junk and salvaged electronics, with a bit of hi tech stuff to make sure the timing is all OK. They play gigs like normal human bands, usually doing a 30 or 40 minute set. Audiences dance, clap, sit and watch, or sometimes even stage dive.

Hit the read more link to see another video of the group performing Sister Robot, their first hit. The Trons have released an album that's available on itunes or as a CD/DVD. If you want to see more photos of the robot band, check out their flickr photo gallery.