Robot conducts Detroit orchestra

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) — High tech met high art late Tuesday when a robot conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

It was the first time an orchestra was handed over to a robot and the diminutive, spaceman-like machine got rave reviews.

Both the audience and performers burst into applause after Honda's ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) robot led the symphony in a performance of "The Impossible Dream" ahead of a sold-out concert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

"It's exciting to see. The technology is mind boggling," said bass trombone player Randall Hawes, who has played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for 22 years.

"I was struck by how fluid the walk was when it came out and how still it was."

But Hawes doesn't think the...