Robot 'conductor' steals show from Italy's top tenor Bocelli but can't improvise

PISA, ITALY – Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's voice soars to the rafters of the Tuscan theater, but all eyes are on the orchestral conductor beside him -- a robot with an apparent penchant for Verdi. The concert in the heart of Pisa is a world first, with two mechanical "arms" conducting live music at the grand finale of the first International Festival of Robotics. The Swiss-designed YuMi sweeps its baton skyward with one hand, while the other curves around in a caress that spurs on the strings as the operatic "La Donna E' Mobile" ("Woman Is Fickle") reaches its climax. But music lovers beware: YuMi can conduct set pieces, but cannot improvise, react or interact with the musicians. "It was extremely difficult to train," says Andrea Colombini, the conductor of the Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra, which performed with Bocelli and soprano Maria Luigia Borsi on Tuesday.