The original hurdy-gurdy was a medieval instrument which used a handle-driven rotary bow to play strings. Consider now a straight stick bow. You have to move it back and forth. And it is a line so it can only intercept one string at once; two if you are lucky. Other strings are silent, waiting their turn.
The dremel rotary bow attaches small motor driven wheels to each finger. Each wheel can serve as a bow when applied to a string; each string gets to sing a constant note instead of a blurting bleat on being strummed. Bowed chords involving all strings become possible. A new era of music dawns!
You shaggy folks: pull all that artistic hair back before you turn on your finger bows. If you get your hair tangled in one the music will stop.-- bungston, Jul 28 2015 Geigenwerk https://de.wikipedi...wiki/StreichklavierAutomated version [pocmloc, Jul 28 2015] Baked http://www.gizmotron.com [doctorremulac3, Jul 28 2015] Not a projectile weapon, then ?-- 8th of 7, Jul 28 2015 I need a visual.-- blissmiss, Jul 28 2015 This is much closer to a Geigenwerk than to ordinary bowed strings. I would say this invention is to a Geigenwerk, as a harp is to a harpsichord, or as hammered dulcimer is to piano. But I believe it is a genuinely new invention, which would work, a true rarity in organology, so [+]-- pocmloc, Jul 28 2015 Believe it or not, very baked. I always wanted one of these but they were almost impossible to get back when I was a young rock star. I see that they've re- introduced them though.
The name of this device is, of course, the Gizmotron. (see link)-- doctorremulac3, Jul 28 2015 Ok very good [dr]. But the Gizmotron's wheels are not finger-mounted, so it is really just a 6 string geigenwerk, is it not?-- pocmloc, Jul 28 2015 Doc, the gizmotron interface looks like a bunch of Qtips. Do they spin?-- bungston, Jul 28 2015 Yes, It had 6 spinning wheels that hit the string when you push their corresponding actuator key.
The gizmotron was keyboard mounted to I guess the idea of putting the rollers on individual fingers is novel. Not sure if that would be a bonus or hindrance though. The sound is amazing. Like I said, always wanted one.
The electro magnetic version, the "E-bow" was the method we used in my day. This was a little hand held device that generated a modulating magnetic field that would set the string to vibrating when you held it close.-- doctorremulac3, Jul 28 2015 //bonus or hindrance// neither, just different.-- pocmloc, Jul 28 2015 random, halfbakery