EFFICIENT SYNTHESIS OF COMPLEX, DRIVEN SYSTEMS

Efficient synthesis of complex, driven systems is accomplished using a probabilistic framework according to which the physics of system behavior are modeled in terms of the effective degrees of freedom relevant to observed behavior, instead of modeling the physical configuration or the output waveform. A replica of the system's behavior in response to external stimulus is developed computationally, and the model used to replace (or facilitate replacement) of the system with, for example, a physical representation programmed to behave in accordance with the model. The invention may be applied to develop a model capturing the behavior of a complex musical instrument such as a violin; the model then may be embodied in any physically appealing format (e.g., as a plastic replica of the original violin that would, absent the implemented model, produce no sound if bowed; or a keyboard or other musical instrument whose response to being "played" is to generate the sounds of the original violin).