UCLA Engineers Build an 88-Key Self-Playing Piano That Plays All at Once

Two UCLA engineering students built a self-playing piano capable of pressing all 88 keys simultaneously by using a custom multi‑row solenoid array, a redesigned interior, and MIDI-driven software to translate songs from a laptop. After months of prototyping, alignment fixes, and power considerations, they achieved a recognizable performance in November 2025 and tested the extreme all-keys-at-once scenario with the meme piece “Rush E,” with plans to continue refining volume control and share detailed instructions for others in the makerspace.