The next-generation conductor robot 'MAiRA Pro S' made its debut last weekend in Dresden, Germany. The Dresden Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary with the 'Robot Symphony,' conducted by both a human and the robot.
MAiRA Pro S's two performances in Dresden aimed to showcase the latest developments in robotic conducting and music specially composed to utilize 21st-century technology.
Markus Rindt, the orchestra's Artistic Director, stated that the goal is not for robots to replace conductors, but that robots can perform music that conductors might find impossible.
Rindt worked with experts from Dresden University of Technology to teach MAiRA the nuances of conducting, with movements being practiced up to 40 times each.
The development process took two years, during which the movements became increasingly complex.
MAiRA features seven joints that allow its three arms to move and flex in all directions.
Not the first of its kind
While MAiRA is technically the most advanced robot conductor, it is not the first of its kind.
In 2008, a 1.2-meter tall robot conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mitch Leigh's 'The Impossible Dream from the Man from La Mancha.'
Nine years later, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed with the dual-arm robot conductor YuMi in Pisa.
In July 2023, an android robot took the conductor's podium at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.
