I know this has been blogged to death already, but I’ll take a shot.
On April 23, ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), a robot built by Honda, conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Some hailed this as an unprecedented achievement in advancement of robotics. Others complained that while the robot’s tempo was flawless, it was unable to convey the ‘feel’ of the music to the musicians.
A few notes.
First, I don’t know much about symphony, and I certainly don’t comprehend the intricacies of conducting one. But I have gone to many symphonies in my life, and I can honestly say that I have never seen any of the musicians look up at the conductor – ever! They are all looking at their music sheets. I’ve always wondered what the conductor really does, and how it benefits the musicians. If he controls the tempo and the feel of the music, how is he accomplishing it if the musicians don’t ever look at him? Can someone leave me a comment and educate me?
Second, it is perhaps the height of irony that a robot – made by a Japanese car company and having replaced a human – was permitted to conduct the Detroit Symphony. Does anyone else see the irony in that? This could be the latest ploy by the Japanese to take jobs away from Americans. I bet it doesn’t even belong to a union!
Third, has anyone explored the possibility that ASIMO was actually hypnotizing the audience by planting a subliminal message in their psyche to abandon their American-made cars and buy Japanese? The Japanese can be quite tricky people, you know.
Finally, waving a baton in the air is easy. How about teaching this robot to change my kid’s dirty diaper at 2:00 am. That . . . I would pay (lots of ) money for.
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