Brittany A. Roston - Oct 29, 2021, 7:15pm CDT
Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is back with another dance number, this time showing off its agility and stability by dancing along to The Rolling Stones. Spot is showcased side-by-side with Mick Jagger as it mirrors his every dance move, including rapidly moving its head side to side, walking with a sassy countenance, and even lip-syncing its “mouth” to the lyrics. The new video joins previous dance numbers from Boston Dynamics, including the last year’s massive celebration involving all of its robots.
The new video, which Boston Dynamics has cheekily named “Spot Me Up,” features multiple units of its dog-like Spot robots — including, amusingly enough, one behind a drumset. Spot’s serpentine appendage has never seemed more creepy and snake-like than it does in this video, lending a sort of uncanny valley effect to the entire performance.
The appendage is technically more of an “arm” than it is a head, though it’s impossible to perceive it as anything other than a long, nimble neck with an almost insect-like mouth on the end. We’ve previously seen Spot perform more rudimentary tasks like opening a door on its own, including twisting the handle, as well as some amusing displays like Boston Dynamics’ engineers repeatedly attempting to kick it to the ground.
Spot has come a very long way over the past several years, transforming from the big, blocky robot Boston Dynamics unveiled in 2015 into the slim, lifelike robot we see today. The company has also demonstrated its other robots and their advancements over the years, including its humanoid Atlas transforming from a clunky machine with a bundle of tethers into a sleek machine with a parkour hobby.
Boston Dynamics have many different usage scenarios in mind for its robotic dog, including everything from enterprise applications to helping farmers herd sheep. Though the machine’s capabilities are beyond impressive, the videos are also a tad creepy as they tease a future in which machines may surpass human capabilities in even the most mundane activities like dancing.
Story Timeline
Hyundai now controls Boston Dynamics and its clever/creepy robots
BTS' dance moves look a lot creepier when it's Boston Dynamics' robots doing them
Boston Dynamics' latest robot parkour demo is more than just bragging
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