Time for the three-armed conductor?

Three hands conduct an orchestra more effectively than... two hands.

The robot conducted the Dresdner Sinfoniker orchestra in two performances over the weekend, with pieces specially composed to suit its abilities.

The robot consists of three separate arms holding command batons that look like the "light sabers" from the Star Wars movies.

It is trained to recognize rhythm and indicate musical intensity, with the ability to move each arm independently.

This ability was clearly demonstrated in the performance of Semiconductor's Masterpiece by composer and pianist Andreas Gundlach, commissioned by the Dresdner Sinfoniker.

The robot can use three arms to guide three sections of the orchestra separately - something a "human conductor" cannot do.

Composer Gundlach shared that the idea for this robot was inspired by scientists at the Technical University of Dresden, who are developing "cobots" - collaborative robots, not intended to replace humans but to work alongside them.

The robot's development and training took two years, in collaboration with the Technical University of Dresden.

Composer Gundlach also said that teaching robots to perform the movements needed to conduct helped him realize "what a wonderful creature humans are."

It takes patience to teach machines to "perform aesthetic hand movements that an orchestra can capture well."

Additionally, two of the robot's three arms also conducted musicians during the premiere of Wieland Reissmann's #kreuzknoten - another piece that features a combination of instruments played simultaneously at different tempos.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/den-thoi-cua-nhac-truong-ba-tay-2024101407422249.htm