Opera

Opera One of my housemates here in Boston is a grad student at the MIT Media Lab, which is great for me because it gives me an excuse to go visit what I brazenly call The Birthplace of All Things Good and Awesome (Im working on a shorter, catchier title). Aside from the brilliantly practical solutions, inspiring innovations, and the mind-blowing leaps I only dimly grasp, Ive been following the Opera of the Future project with growing anticipation. If youre unfamiliar with the decade-long project, let me sum it up for you: Opera + Robots = WIN. Okay so its a lot more complicated than that, blending human performances with a sprawling, robot-controlled set in a disembodied performance that integrates with and enhances the living performers rather than overshadowing. Its the vision of Media Lab Professor Tod Machover, who has already done groundbreaking work developing a new generation of digitally integrated musical instruments. But hey, why dont I let Professor Machover speak for himself. You can read a great article on the Opera of the Future over on the MIT News Office site. And hey, while were all waiting for the Opera to show up a little closer to home, why not help the Personal Robotics Group train the next generation of social robots from the comfort of your browser? Play Mars Escape.