Dresden

Humans handed over the baton of music to a robot, quite literally: A three-armed robot conducted a symphony orchestra over the weekend in Germany, in a jaw-dropping fusion of art and technology.

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The robot, MAiRA Pro S, led the Dresdner Sinfoniker orchestra in the concert 'Robotersinfonie', held to mark the ensemble's 25th anniversary.

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MAiRA Pro S conducted music through its three lightsaber-like arms. Each arm was assigned to different sections of the orchestra, thus enabling intricate rhythmic coordination. 

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The Robot Symphony concert at Festspielhaus Hellerau had three world premieres.

One was “#kreuzknoten” by Wieland Reissmann, which required the robot to navigate overlapping tempos. 

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It also performed "Semiconductor's Masterpiece," a work by composer-pianist Andreas Gundlach, which drew on the robot's ability to guide three sections of the orchestra separately through its separate arms, DW News said in a report. 

The last performance was of "Musica Celestis" by Aaron J Kernis for which the conductor and robot appeared side by side.

Developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Dresden, the technology can execute complex musical pieces that human conductors would find impossible to perform.

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Artistic director Markus Rindt trained the robot over two years, using the same techniques for teaching human conductors.

The intention was not to replace human conductors but to explore new artistic possibilities Rindt said. 

(With inputs from agencies)