May 14th, 2008
I could do that.
Posted by
chrislintott in
Uncategorized
I promise a post about NASA’s announcement will follow when I have some time and am awake. In the meantime, I’m getting lots of emails about this story; a robot conducting an orchestra is being billed as a great breakthrough.
Except the robot isn’t conducting the orchestra. It’s copied a series of movements from someone who knew what they were doing, and has no ability to react to the sound being produced. Given worlds enough and time (two things I’m short of, right now) I could learn to copy a decent conductor, so please could somebody explain why this is impressive.
on May 15th, 2008 at 7:41 am
It isn’t impressive. When the orchestra lost the tempo the robot had no way to know and put them right. My Son was conducting along with the Proms at the age of three and keeping a rhythm. Still doesn’t make him a conductor
on May 15th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
No I don’t think it’s about the conducting itself… It’s something Ray Kurzweil said in “The Singularity is Near” and no one believed him, that robots will stop being clumsy at some point, develop to resemble humans exactly in their movements and appearance, later surpass them and eventually we will evolve into a new race half humans, half robots, enhanced by the best traits of both… Not very tempting but you can look at it this way, Kurzweil’s “Singularity” is coming true…