By: Amaya

Honda Motor Company will bridge the gap between art and technology as their robotic ambassador Asimo leads the Detroit Symphony Orchestra next month.  The robot-led performance will take place on May 13 during a youth music program including the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, The Associated Press reported. The Honda Asimo robot resembles a child in a space suit. It can walk, jog, wave, avoid obstacles and carry on simple conversations. Honda, which uses it to inspire students to study math and science, initially designed Asimo to assist the elderly and disabled.

Jill Woodward, from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, said she hopes having Asimo conduct a song in the sold-out May 13 concert will generate interest in science, technology and music among adults and children.

"It's an interesting marriage of technology and culture," said Woodward. "He's being programmed [to conduct the orchestra]. The musicians will have to follow him and do what he says. It will be interesting to see if he has, shall we say, a different take on the piece."

Asimo will conduct the orchestra for one song -- "Impossible Dream" from the musical, Man of La Mancha. The robot also will present a lifetime achievement award to world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will play at the concert (but will not be conducted by Asimo).  The day after his concert debut, the Asimo robot will demonstrate its conducting abilities to local music students.

It will be interesting to see how the orchestra will sound under a robotic conductor, and it raises many questions about technology-generated art and music.  How can a robot evoke emotion?  Will it be programmed into the conducting commands?  Or is enough for emotional beings (the orchestra) to be on the interpreting end of Asimo's cues?  Such questions bring up old SciFi themes about man vs. technology.

Honda began working on robots back in 1986, first building a pair of walking legs. In 2000, the company's engineers unveiled an early version of Asimo, or Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility. Asimo made its debut in the U.S. on Feb. 14, 2002, when it rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.  Today, the robot is able to walk forward and backward, climb up and down stairs, and even run at speeds of nearly 4 miles per hour.