Humanoid robot stars in Berlin opera

A small robot, the size as an 8-year-old child, is the unlikely star of the opera ‘My Square Lady’ at Berlin’s Komische Oper.

The opera tells the story of how Myon goes on a discovery tour of the opera, learning from those who work there what makes opera so special. Slowly, the robot learns what it means to feel and express human emotions, and arouse them in others.

The opera is the brainchild of the international artist collective ‘Gob Squad’.

“For us, the robot is a means to look at ourselves as humans, and to ask the question: what makes us human and what differentiates us from a machine or an object. And empathy and the ability to feel are quite crucial, I think, to do that. So looking at the robot we reflect on ourselves,” says Johanna Freiburg, a member of the collective.

Developed by Berlin Humboldt University, Myon was not programmed but taught how to interact with the singers just like a child learns new actions. During the performance, the robot sees with its cam