Robots are invading the symphony hall, said Kevin Ryan at Inc. YuMi, a two-armed robot built by Swiss robotics company ABB, recently conducted a performance of the Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra in Pisa, Italy. The 84-pound bot learns tasks by recording and mimicking them, "without any coding" required. It has wrists, elbows, and shoulders, giving its movements fluidity similar to a human being's. Italian conductor Andrea Colombini taught YuMi the songs for the performance, including "La Donna è Mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto.
Unlike its human counterpart, however, the robot can't respond to how the orchestra is playing, so "a cellist who misses a note won't get a stern look." As a result, Colombini isn't too worried about his job security just yet. "The robot uses its arms," he said. "But the soul, the spirit, always come from a human."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will California’s Proposition 50 kill gerrymandering reform?Talking Points Or is opposing Trump the greater priority for voters?
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Wikipedia: Is ‘neutrality’ still possible?Feature Wikipedia struggles to stay neutral as conservatives accuse the site of being left-leaning
