On October 17th, in Malmö, Sweden, a cello-playing robot performed with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in the Malmö Live Concert Hall.

The robot and symphony played a piece written by Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad, called Veer (bot). Based on his piano single, also titled Veer, he wrote another melody to add dimension to the piece. This work combines classical and modern influences, with the influence of new technology.

This robot is believed to be the first of its kind. It’s made of industrial robotic arms and 3D-printed parts. Composer and researcher Fredrik Gran is the brain behind the bot. “The robot is itself an instrument controlled by my notes. In a way, the composition and the instrument are brought together on an even deeper level,” says Mühlrad.  “Musical notation is basically like code, so my musical notation actually became transcribed as code.”

In an Instagram post, Mühlrad wrote, “I always envision the orchestra as one organism—a collective instrument—so I was very curious how it would react to a robotic soloist. It created an interesting symbiosis between human and robotic elements, resulting in, for me, a fascinating unity.”

In the modern day of technology, and robot creations that replace human jobs, the main goal for this robot isn’t to displace humans, “…but rather a study of the cello’s possibilities when played by a tool with a very different anatomy from a human, and of how technology can complement human musicianship when man and machine perform side by side.”  said Mühlrad. “Acoustic music played by robots will definitely be an art form or a platform for itself, but I don’t think it will ever replace live musicians.”

If this mechanical musician interests you, it will be traveling to the U.S. in December!