A never-before-seen event took place in Malmö, Sweden, where a robot made its debut playing the cello with a symphony orchestra. This world premiere is astonishing in the complexity of the performance on such an instrument.
During this concert, the robot, designed from two industrial robotic arms, was programmed especially for the occasion by researcher and composer Fredrik Gran. The automaton performed a composition by Swedish musician Jacob Mulrad, using one arm to swing the bow across the strings, while the other arm, fitted with a 3D-printed appendage, held down the notes.
This remarkable performance, although perfectible, aroused wonder. When questioned, Fredrik Gran admitted that the robot’s game was still devoid of emotion, judging the result relatively mediocre. According to him, artificial intelligence could, in the future, compensate for this lack of emotional expressiveness.
However, the composer insists that no machine, no matter how advanced, can ever truly replace a human artist who has refined his art over decades of diligent practice.
