CHANNEL 1 LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES 9/13/17
YuMi, the world’s first truly collaborative dual-arm robot, made its debut at the opera on Tuesday (Sept. 12) by conducting Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and the Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa. YuMi, which is manufactured by Swiss technology pioneer ABB, was invited to the stage by Mr. Bocelli, who performed the famous aria “La Donna è Mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto. YuMi also conducted works of Puccini and Mascagni during its first night at the opera in front of a sold-out Teatro. Among the guests was ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, under whose leadership YuMi was developed. The unique demonstration showed what can happen when advanced robotics meets the arts.
BB’s collaborative robot, YuMi, has conducted a full orchestra at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, Italy, demonstrating the fluidity of movement, ease of learning and artistic sensibility that robotics can now offer. The performance included solos from star tenor Andrea Bocelli. The theatre’s director, Andrea Colombini, taught YuMi the gestures to conduct the pieces within two days of work. “I must say, the final outcome is incredible,” Colombini said. “The gestural nuances of a conductor have been fully reproduced at a level that was previously unthinkable to me.”