How does a robot conduct a symphony?
On May 13, 2008, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra welcomed a very special guest conductor as part of the Power of Dreams Music Education Fund initiative. Unlike other guest conductors, this one didn’t have an illustrious background in music. Nor was the conductor a well-known celebrity. In fact, the conductor didn’t even have a heartbeat! It was the Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility robot, better known as ASIMO. A creation from the robotics division of Honda, ASIMO is a humanoid robot — a robot that resembles a human being — capable of accomplishing tasks that most robots find very challenging. That includes everything from climbing up and down a set of stairs to running in a circle to maneuvering through a room filled with obstacles. ASIMO has the capability to move in a smooth and f
