Honda's Asimo robot made his debut conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a record-breaking performance of
"The Impossible Dream" from the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha."
Asimo the robot: the 21st century Toscanini?
“Hello, everyone,” said Asimo before the music began, with a friendly wave to the orchestra.
And yet the performance was in many ways a brilliant counterfeit.
In spite of Asimo’s remarkably fluid movements—humanlike would be a bit of a stretch—it was able only to mimic the actions of Charles Burke, the Detroit Symphony’s education director,
who had videotaped himself conducting the same piece six months earlier.
Not that anyone would have known. The robot, designed by the Honda Motor Company, nodded its head, gestured
with both one or both hands, and took a final bow at the end of the performance. Cued via remote control, Asimo even managed to slow the orchestra down for a big finish, moving into 6/8 time and ending with a dramatic long note.
The tape was used by human programmers to instruct Asimo, because it is unable to respond to the musicians themselves.
