Led by EveR 6, an emotionally expressive android robot

A robot will conduct an orchestra for the first time in South Korea during a concert scheduled for late this month, the orchestra said Thursday.

The National Orchestra of Korea, a traditional Korean music orchestra under the National Theater of Korea, said it will present the show "Absence" at Haeoreum Grand Theater in central Seoul on June 30, featuring a robot as a conductor.

While robots have previously attempted conducting roles several times around the world, this marks the first such case in South Korea.

This imagery picture provided by the National Theater of Korea shows EveR 6,

an emotionally expressive android robot developed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology,

conduct an orchestra. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) 

Among the robots that have taken the stage as conductors are Asimo, created by Honda in Japan in 2008; Yumi, a collaborative robot in Switzerland in 2017; Alter 2, a second-generation artificial intelligence humanoid robot developed in Japan in 2018; and Alter 3, the third generation of the Alter robot series, released in 2020.

Leading the upcoming concert will be EveR 6, an emotionally expressive android robot developed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) a year ago.

The robot that resembles a human body has a key strength in the flexible and precise movement of the neck and the forearm. It can effortlessly execute movements involving rapid changes in speed.

For EveR 6's training, KITECH used the "motion capture" technology of digitally recording a person's baton trajectory through sensor attachments, as well as the technologies of keeping a register of the baton's movement speed and enabling the robot to catch up with the speed accurately.

Another conductor that will lead the orchestra is Choi Soo-yeol. After presenting a solo stage each highlighting their individual strengths, the two conductors will showcase a collaborative performance, conducting one musical piece together.

"The most challenging aspect for robots is real-time interaction and communication, particularly in the context of music. In my upcoming performance, I will showcase how human conductors stand out from robots through my leadership skills and ability to interpret music," Choi said, vowing to do his best.

 By Shim Sun-ah