The robotic self-tuning guitar

As a longtime axe-noodler I took some interest in this story in today's Guardian reporting that legendary guitar manufacturer Gibson has developed the world's first self-tuning instrument: "Using robotic technology, the £1,400 Les Paul can detect when a string has fallen out of pitch and correct it immediately. The guitar uses a device in the bridge that monitors the pitch of the strings. Motorised tuners automatically adjust the strings. Gibson says it will reduce tuning problems for novices and professional performers." Gibson's excellent website goes on to explain how ceramics are used for insulation to isolate each individual string signal. All fascinating stuff, but to be fair it's a bit of a gimmick - professional players such as Jimmy Page (pictured in his heyday with an unroboticised Les Paul) won't really need the feature (unless they're rubbish in the first place) and amateurs who can't keep their guitar in tune are either doing it deliberately or need to learn how. A guitar that replaces its own broken strings, now, on the other hand...