Surprise conductor for Seoul audience

Music lovers attending a recent performance in Seoul by South Korea’s national orchestra could be forgiven for feeling a bit bewildered when they discovered their beloved orchestra was being conducted by a robot. 

The two-armed android robot, EveR 6, designed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, bowed to the audience before conducting three of the five pieces, including one jointly with conductor Soo-Yeoul Choi.

Choi was impressed by the robot’s moves which were much better than he had imagined, although he did point out one “critical weakness” – its inability to listen.