Conducting? Hell, a robot could do it!

June 26, 2008 6:37 AM

ASIMO Conducts The Detroit Symphony Orchestra
posted by flapjax at midnite (26 comments total)

or, Fancy Digital Metronome Performs Function
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 6:44 AM on June 26, 2008 [2 favorites]

Japanese automation claims yet another job in the most beleaguered of industrial American cities. This is just cruel.
posted by ardgedee at 6:50 AM on June 26, 2008 [6 favorites]

Spooky. Amazing that technology has come this far... and also amazing that detroit still has a symphony orchestra;)

man of la mancha
posted by vronsky at 6:51 AM on June 26, 2008

Reasons why robots will never be our masters, number 249: Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra Of Venezuela
posted by Jofus at 6:54 AM on June 26, 2008

Conductorless orchestra
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:54 AM on June 26, 2008

The robots will remember our laughter. And there will be a reckoning.
posted by shadow vector at 6:55 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

I don't see what's spooky or amazing about

# REM FOR DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.  
# REM WRITTEN JUNE, 2008
10 RAISE_HAND
20 WAVE_HAND
30 I = 0
40 WHILE NOTES_LEFT > 0 DO
50    CURRENT_NOTE = ALL_NOTES(I)
60    MOVE_HANDS_IN_SQUARE
70    IF NOTE_IS_LOUD(CURRENT_NOTE) THEN RAISE HANDS HIGHER
80    I = I + 1
90 WEND

posted by DU at 7:04 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

So did he conduct it, or was it just a remote control puppet show?
posted by blue_beetle at 7:05 AM on June 26, 2008

Is ASIMO bulletproof?
posted by pracowity at 7:06 AM on June 26, 2008

while (!music.isStopped()) { arm.getHand().wave(stick); }
body.turn(180);
body.bow();
posted by mkb at 7:07 AM on June 26, 2008

Best use of the "semiconductor" tag ever.
posted by cog_nate at 7:07 AM on June 26, 2008 [8 favorites]

Detroit's symphony orchestra is excellent.

What they did was film the conductor, then write a script to have the robot mimic what he did. No processing, or decision making at all. Just a joke, really.

Chilling, though, to see a Honda leading my hometown orchestra. Revenge of Vincent Chin, I guess.
posted by QIbHom at 7:16 AM on June 26, 2008

So did he conduct it, or was it just a remote control puppet show?

ASIMO is just the world's most expensive RC toy. Its not autonomous. I think it does some pre-programmed tricks but its mostly under remote control.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:23 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

There is something about the way the ASIMO moves that makes me want to try to tackle it. I have no idea why.
posted by quin at 7:34 AM on June 26, 2008 [2 favorites]

I like that it was to raise money for a cause. Despite knowing ASIMO wasn't doing anything more than playing pre-recorded actions, it was still fun to watch.
posted by artifarce at 7:43 AM on June 26, 2008

Yeah, there's one autonomous ASIMO, at Carnegie-Mellon I think, and the rest are just dinky RC toys.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 7:54 AM on June 26, 2008

ASIMO Conducts The Detroit Symphony Orchestra twenty gazillion volts from a Tesla coil and bursts into flames.

I really do need to make a HERF gun for the coming robot wars. Really, Honda. Did you have to make them walk around like they were sneaky ninja robots? Ok, I guess you did, but did you really have to make them walk around like sneaky, creepy, panty-stealing ninja robots?
posted by loquacious at 8:22 AM on June 26, 2008

Best use of the "semiconductor" tag ever.

Until, I suppose, Optimus Prime does this same thing in his vehicular form.
posted by cog_nate at 8:52 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

Positive robot news, well now. Time to take the ASIMO down a tag!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlV0Y5yAww
posted by cgomez at 9:16 AM on June 26, 2008

I just realized something -- DU is a robot!

# REM for metafilter (blue)

# REM WRITTEN JUNE, 2008

10 RECOGNIZE_NEW_FPP

20 OPEN_THREAD

30 DU=IDIOT

40 TYPE COMMENT

50 CURRENT_NOTE = ALL_THREADS

60 MOVE_HANDS_IN_SQUARE (DO THE HOKEY_POKEY)

70 IF COMMENT_IS_NOT_DUMB_ENOUGH(CURRENT_COMMENT) THEN RAISE HANDS HIGHER

80 GO_TO_NEXT_FPP (RINSE_AND_REPEAT)

90 WEND
posted by vronsky at 10:28 AM on June 26, 2008

80 GO_TO_NEXT_FPP (RINSE_AND_REPEAT)

90 WEND

This will not WEND ell.
posted by splice at 10:55 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

rest are just dinky RC toys

They're two separate problem spaces really. It's a platform that should be fully capable of being autonomous given advances in CPU speed, memory, etc.
posted by empath at 1:03 PM on June 26, 2008

I think it does some pre-programmed tricks but its mostly under remote control.

To anthropomorphize even further, ASIMO models generally possesses basic "reflexes", but any of its "conscious" higher-level actions must be either scripted beforehand, or dictated in real-time by remote control. Though the line between autonomy and remote control gets a bit blurred when the remote is controlled not by a human but by a computer; if the brain's way too big to actually fit in the body, how much is it "cheating" to have the brain be an external computer that controls the body via WiFi with little to no human intervention?
posted by PsychoKick at 3:32 PM on June 26, 2008

Wait, ASIMO is programmed with BASIC?
posted by P.o.B. at 6:16 PM on June 26, 2008

My friend's parents are in the orchestra and, apparently, they said that it keeps horrible time. Weird.
posted by Bizarro at 9:07 PM on June 26, 2008

...they said that it keeps horrible time.

Well, I gotta say, the robot did seem really sluggish to me... seemed like the orchestra was in fact playing just a bit ahead, rhythmically, of ASIMO's "conducting". I have a feeling they were pretty much conducting themselves, which is what I think orchestras should actually start doing anyway. Violinists of the world, UNITE! You have nothing to lose but your chains!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:52 AM on June 27, 2008