Richie is able to handle a Yamaha drum set thanks to his fully articulated arms and hands and 16 degrees of freedom, while Chuck is able to carry and play a tuba, needing only 11 degrees of freedom to operate the valves.
Our take? With the development of robots like Richie and Chuck, it will only be a matter of time til we can go to Disneyland and see shows like the Country Bear Jamboree and see the animatronic-animals actually play the instruments. However, those who watch too many science fiction movies might think that robots like Richie and Chuck are bringing us closer to a robot uprising.