AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Toyota's Violin-Playing Robot

Let's say you're Toyota. You're the biggest automotive company in the world. Your stock is valued at ten times that of General Motors, if not more, and your cars move out the door as soon as they hit the dealer. What do you do with your money? Answer: you build a violin-playing robot.



Unlike Honda, which named its humanoid robot "Aismo", Toyota stuck with the memorable name "Violin-Playing Robot". They should have had the robot make its debut in Carnegie Hall. That way, when a reporter asked how the robot got to Carnegie Hall, the PR hack could say "practice, practice, practice."

In response to Toyota's display of technological wizardry, General Motors announced a "mild robot", a kazoo-playing hairdryer.

This is a great opportunity to recycle some old violin jokes.

What's the difference between a robot violinist and a dog? The dog knows when to quit scratching.

How do you get two robot violinists to play in unison? Shoot one of them.

For more violin jokes, click here.

Here's a youtube video of the Honda robot fighting the Toyota robot. Or so I'm told.



Thanks to Ken W. For the heads-up.