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Humanoid robot to conduct Symphony


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A humanoid robot will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra next month, mixing two different cultures - technology and music.

Honda Motor Co.'s Asimo robot was built to help people and to someday assist the elderly and disabled in their homes. While many features are still in development, Asimo has already become something of a robotic ambassador.

Jill Woodward, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, said she hopes having Asimo conduct a song in the sold-out May 13 concert will spark interest in science, technology and music among adults and children.

"It's an interesting marriage of technology and culture," said Woodward. "He's being programmed [to conduct the orchestra]. The musicians will have to follow him and do what he says. It will be interesting to see if he has, shall we say, a different take on the piece."
jcwelker

15 responses // Humanoid robot to conduct Symphony

  • Maestros everywhere are outraged and appalled.
    mako2424
  • I hate robots.
    ILiveonaClock
  • A robot can never capture a great orchestra sound like a human conductor could, a robot can not capture the emotion in music, which i believe is a huge part of it. It will be interesting to see what happens though, I will definitely YouTube it.
    justwannafindmytrue
  • alright, barring the artists, everyone else thinks this is awesome right?? yea. me too
    jh64487
  • I don't know about awesome... Intriguing, yes. Not that I'm fully against it, but since the self-checking lines in stores, to robots vacuuming the house by themselves, and now robots conducting symphonies; it makes you wonder....
    dgordon
  • http://www.lemonsound.com/visuels/uploaded/daft-punk--d...
    Anyone else imagining an intriguing marriage of Digital Love and Chopin?
    richjm
  • Conducting is more than waving a stick around to keep time.

    How will it evoke emotion from the orchestra, audience, and piece?
    nickwe3d
  • http://current.com/items/88921808_politics_and_pop_cult...
    To be fair, if Bush can conduct, a robot definitely can.
    richjm
  • Would love to read a book written by a robot. Now there's a challenge.
    c3camargo
  • its a cool concept but you would never find me at an orchestra that a robot conducted, never, as a musician that actually makes me a little angry
    alman365
  • I saw a humanoid robot conducting an orchestra on TV the other night - it was George Bush!
    VoyagerFilms
  • As a former classical musician, I'm creeped out just by the picture. But I might not have paid attention if there wasn't a squick factor. I can think of a hundred good uses for the humanoid robot in the coming years, so props for realizing the concept--and making me notice it.

    Voyager--you caught Bush waving his arms like a 9 year old at a theme park too? That was even squickier. I'm pretty sure Asimo will do it better.
    tlpatten
  • To me currently if a robot is making art the robot isn't the artists the programmer is. The robot is simply the middle man. Now if AI was built in, it'd be a different story.
    ipodrulz
  • I agree with ipodrulz, give all the credit to the programmers.

    Disclaimer: I'm a programmer.
    hack26
  • Awesome! i can see how this can be achieved. Both classical music and computer science are highly ordered where exact timing is harmony. I doubt the robot can conduct music with the same nuance and mastery as a maestro can. But if one is looking for an exact replication of music, as it is written...
    phoenix_fire999

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