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At a breathtakingly beautiful orchestra in the heart of Italy's cultural hub Pisa, a robot with human-like hands made a spectacular debut.
Designed by Swiss robotics leader ABB, YuMi was trained for over 17 hours for his six minutes of performance at the grand finale of the first International Festival of Robotics.
Andrea Colombini, the conductor of the Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra, trained the robot and said YuMi's performance was beyond imagination.
The world’s first truly collaborative dual-arm robot, made its conducting debut in front of nearly 1000 guests.
In one of the most beautiful theaters of Italian tradition, Maestro Bocelli sang as YuMi directed “La Donna è Mobile,” the famous aria from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” YuMi continued conducting as soloist Maria Luigia Borsi sang the classic soprano aria “O mio babbino caro” from “Gianni Schicchi” by Puccini. To conclude, YuMi also conducted a passage from Mascagni’s intermezzo from the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana.”
However, music lovers should take note – YuMi is good, but can't replace a human conductor.
While this performance gives an inspiring peek at the future, it is unlikely robots will ever prove capable of combining the scholarship, artistry, technique, interpretation and charisma of a skilled human conductor.
