April 24, 2008 Following an extended world tour in 2007, Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot will show off its skills in 2008 by conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). ASIMO will lead the Orchestra as it performs “Impossible Dream” to open a special concert performance with renowned cellist Yo-Yo M as a way to highlight the DSO’s nationally acclaimed music programs for young people in Detroit.
After the concert on 13 May, ASIMO will also demonstrate its unique capabilities for hundreds of area school children, followed by a specially arranged master class at the DSO. A select group of music students will receive personal music instruction from Yo-Yo Ma. Students from the Detroit School of Arts (DSA) will participate in the master class on-stage in front of the audience of area children, which will include a group of young students from neighboring Windsor, Canada.
Honda continues to develop and enhance ASIMO’s capabilities and sees the addition of music education to the robot's repertoire as a natural extension of these efforts. And further to allowing ASIMO to lend a hand to the Orchestra, Honda is providing the DSO with a gift of more than $1 million to create The Power of Dreams Music Education Fund.