Livingston’s Pianofortes Robotics Team Receives Proclamation Recognizing Accomplishments of Patented Product

LIVINGSTON, NJ — An all-female robotics team made up of five Livingston High School (LHS) freshmen who formed the “Pianofortes” during their summer break in 2023 in order to compete in the 2023-2024 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Robotics competition recently received a proclamation from the township recognizing the Pianofortes for season accomplishments that included being named the regional champion, state runner-up and runner up in the prestigious FLL Western Edge Open International Competition “On The Spot” Challenge.

The Pianofortes, who ultimately faced more than 80 national and international teams in the final competition of the season, also notably received a patent allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for their invention of a robot dubbed “Piano Genie.” The robot, which the girls lovingly named Symphony after building numerous iterations, is an AI-enabled, LED-based piano-learning device to help piano enthusiasts to learn and master their skills.

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Team members Asmi Barve, Manasvi Rajendra, Shubhada Bhoyar, Nishka Bansal and Kimaya Sutone each received praise from Mayor Al Anthony and members of the Livingston Township Council, who thanked the team for the pride they bring to the Livingston community by “exemplifying the team core values of gracious professionalism and teamwork” and congratulated the Pianofortes on outperforming most of their competitors in the 2023-2024 season.

As the teammates accepted the proclamation, they took turns sharing the details of their journey in the FLL Robotics Competition as eighth graders at Heritage Middle School (HMS).

“Last year, we competed in the FIRST LEGO League Robotics tournament, and the theme was art and music,” said Barve. “In the beginning, it was more about familiarizing ourselves with the world of robotics and bridging our passion of piano in order to create an amazing project.”

While attending HMS, the five friends bonded over their mutual passion for playing the piano as well as their inclination for robotics. They soon formed Pianofortes and entered the FLL Challenge competition, which provides a holistic exposure to designing robots using LEGO pieces, presenting an innovative concept based on the year’s theme and programming a robot to execute missions and score maximum points. The competition also assesses how the teams work together.

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“The day of our regional competition arrived, and we were amazed to see all the other teams, their robots and the passion projects they had created,” said Barve. “At the end of the day, we were awarded the Champions Award, but our journey wasn't over yet.”

The Pianofortes maintained spirit and momentum throughout the regional qualifier round, where they earned the Championship Award to advance to the state-level competition. At the state competition, the Pianofortes improvised upon their robot game strategy, added more features to their innovation product.

“After seeing what had happened at our regional competition, we were even more motivated to do better at our state competition,” said Rajendra. “There was around a three-week time period, and I remember we would meet every single day for multiple hours no matter how much homework or other activities that we had, because we wanted to put in as much hard work and dedication as we could.

“On the actual day of the state competition itself, it was a little intimidating because there were a lot of other teams compared to the regionals one, but we knew no matter what happened, we would not be disappointed, because we had learned a lot from the entire experience and process itself. Fast forward to the awards ceremony, we ended up winning a runners-up champions award, which was a very big deal. We were all extremely excited, but we knew that there was still more.”

Subsequently, the Pianofortes were invited to the Western Edge FLL Open to compete against more than 80 national and international teams in a three-day tournament where they continued their winning streak became the runners-up in the prestigious "On the Spot Challenge” category.

This challenge is unique in that it requires spontaneity and collaboration with other teams to strategize, build, and execute robot missions on the spot in front of a live audience.

“It was finally time for the Pianofortes to showcase their talent to the world,” said Bhoyar. “Yes, literally the world, because this was the FLL International Championship, where countries from all over the world — including Mexico, China, Brazil, Germany, Japan and, of course, the 50 states — came together.

“It sounds pretty daunting, I know, and that's basically how we felt the moment that we had stepped off that plane and onto the beachy grounds of California. However, we quickly overcame that suppressing feeling and figured out a plan for what we had to do. Our goal was to win something. Something that truly showcased us as winners. When the On The Spot Challenge — which was where we, along with two other completely random teams, had to create a completely new robot in a completely new setup — was introduced, we knew that we had to shine. So, being the Pianofortes, we did.”

After leading three teams to success in this challenge, Bhoyar said all five members of the Pianofortes were “absolutely thrilled” to walk up to the stage and claim their runner-up trophy.

“During the ‘On The Spot’ mission, specifically, we learned the importance of teamwork and leadership and how crucial they were for our success,” said Bansal. “This cooperation was not only necessary with other teams, but also within our own team, where we made bonds over the course of our 10-month journey.

“We became closer and worked well while also enjoying the time we spent together. This helped us break through barriers and make progress while getting to know one another better during our journey. As a result, we were able to make the most out of every experience we had in all three competitions. The championship was a very valuable experience for all of us.

Sutone, who reiterated the team’s pride in receiving a patent for the award-winning Piano Genie product, expressed gratitude toward the Livingston Township Council for encouraging the Pianofortes and giving them visibility within the community.

“Also, we want to thank our parents and coaches, because without their guidance and support, we would not be here right now, as well as our siblings, who have given us unwavering support throughout the entire time,” said Sutone.

Her father, who was among the parents who coached the Pianofortes, also thanked HMS Principal Shawn Kelly for his flexibility when the girls wanted to miss days of school to attend the international competition in California as well as the other Livingston robotics teams who entered the competition as rivals but continued to support the Pianofortes as they advanced.

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