Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony

May 13: Honda's ASIMO robot conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
as it performs "Impossible Dream" during a concert in Detroit.

DETROIT (AP/foxnews) -- Classical music enthusiasts long have sought to drum up support for the musical genre among young people, and now they have a secret weapon: the 4-foot-3, childlike robot ASIMO.

On Wednesday, the day after the Honda robot conducted the Detroit Symphony, ASIMO warmed up a crowd of 250 schoolchildren who came to the concert hall to watch a master class with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. ASIMO — which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility — ran, danced and kicked a soccer ball to the delight of the students.

"It was phenomenal. I had no idea of the level people were developing robots," said Sam Pernick, 16, a cellist from the Detroit suburb of Huntington Woods.

Eric Hwu, 14, a fellow musician from Bloomfield Hills, said he thinks a robot like ASIMO could potentially play a musical instrument, but in the meantime, it could get kids excited about technology.

"A lot of kids I know think robots are cool and would be interesting to work on," he said. full story