The lights dimmed, the sold-out hall grew hushed and out walked the conductor -shiny, white and 1.3 m tall.
ASIMO, a robot designed by Honda Motor Company did something different : Conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As it conducted, it perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor, nodding its head at various sections and gesturing with one or both hands. It performed in tandem with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.
ASIMO has its limits. Its engineers programmed the robot to mimic Charles Burke, the Detroit Symphony's education director, as he conducted the piece in front of a pianist about six months ago.
During the first rehearsal, the orchestra lost its place when ASIMO began to slow the tempo, something a human conductor would have sensed and corrected.
'If the orchestra decides to go faster, there's nothing the robot can do about it'.
The robot is human-like but not completely human.
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