Doing the robot

November 28, 2009 10:05 AM

Please enjoy a video of a robot breakdancing.

(bonus video of robot dancing)

posted by empath (39 comments total)

That should be cute/funny, but I find it strangely creepy...
posted by Huck500 at 10:14 AM on November 28, 2009

Impressive, but it's got nothing on ClapTrap.
posted by Nelson at 10:21 AM on November 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

This video shows that robots don't care about their genitals.
posted by bigmusic at 10:22 AM on November 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

He is quite sudden and violent with the splits--this can't be good for his nuts.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:22 AM on November 28, 2009

All it did was a headspin... no popping, no locking, no flairs. Meh.

Here, have some Uniqlo for robotic movements and some Crutch Master just cause he's awesome.
posted by yeloson at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2009 [4 favorites]

In reality, this is what happens when Skynet becomes self-aware. The scientists are still trying to iron out a few remaining AI bugs.
posted by NoMich at 10:28 AM on November 28, 2009

I posted my favourite robot dance video so far.
posted by jaduncan at 10:30 AM on November 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

He's doing the human.
posted by Countess Elena at 10:38 AM on November 28, 2009 [11 favorites]

But is it doing the robot?

Wikipedia has these things to to say on "Robot (dance)"

"The ROBOT (or mannequin) is an illusionary dance style [...] that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin."

"As long as the illusion of being a robot is maintained, it is considered the robot."

Can an actual robot imitate a robot? Can a robot present the illusion of being a robot? Or is a robot forever denied the ability to do the robot by virtue of actually being a robot?

Is that justice?
posted by lore at 10:41 AM on November 28, 2009 [14 favorites]

First the illusion must be an illusion.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:52 AM on November 28, 2009

More robot dancing yaaay
posted by fuq at 10:56 AM on November 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

Wow, some of those movements carry it deep into the uncanny valley.
posted by cmoj at 11:10 AM on November 28, 2009

He's got some great moves but somehow it doesn't all come together.
posted by Artw at 11:19 AM on November 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

I for one welcome our new breakdancing overlords.
posted by Webbster at 11:31 AM on November 28, 2009

All it did was a headspin... no popping, no locking, no flairs. Meh.

Not to mention that it was a cheap headspin since he has a little motor with a flat wheel on his crown. A true breakdancing robot would be able to do a headspin using balance and motion from his whole body. Also, I couldn't make it more than a minute before skipping towards the end.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:36 AM on November 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

lore: "Can a robot present the illusion of being a robot?"

I have mastered the illusion of simulating a metafilter comment.
posted by idiopath at 11:46 AM on November 28, 2009 [3 favorites]

Double Reverse Turing!
posted by Artw at 11:52 AM on November 28, 2009

"Please enjoy a video of a robot breakdancing."
...
These are the words I've been waiting to hear all my life.
Thank You.
posted by Zero Gravitas at 11:57 AM on November 28, 2009

The robots call that 'doing the human'.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:01 PM on November 28, 2009

Is that justice?
No.
This is Justice.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:03 PM on November 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

The stuff of nightmares.
posted by longsleeves at 12:08 PM on November 28, 2009

Am I the only one who was waiting with bated breath for a moonwalk?
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 12:21 PM on November 28, 2009

This Christmas the robots are going all Busby Berkeley.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 12:21 PM on November 28, 2009

Meanwhile, at the Sea Monkey Disco...
posted by kuujjuarapik at 12:31 PM on November 28, 2009

This is the first time I have truly been concerned about the possibility of an imminent robot overlordship.

It also reminded me of this Transformers breakdance animation from a few years ago.
posted by grouse at 12:57 PM on November 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

Robot videos suggest that the robot masters are fascinated by what the bots can do, but frustrated by what they can't.
posted by Cranberry at 12:58 PM on November 28, 2009

When it comes to dancing tranformers, my money is on the Citroën:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5OSNwRZqy8&feature=youtube_gdata
posted by bpm140 at 1:44 PM on November 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

The head mold color was a good choice, because it dances like a white guy.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:45 PM on November 28, 2009 [1 favorite]

This is funny, because I have not yet seen a human breakdancer with a rotating motorized disc implanted in their head.
posted by dunkadunc at 2:04 PM on November 28, 2009

When it comes to machines dancing, may favorite is Strong Machine.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 2:05 PM on November 28, 2009

Pretty fly for an A-I.
posted by functionequalsform at 2:25 PM on November 28, 2009 [4 favorites]

Great. There go all the breakdancing jobs.
posted by Flunkie at 3:04 PM on November 28, 2009 [5 favorites]

Third Law of Robotics: A robot must groove when the break is funky as long as such funkiness does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 4:56 PM on November 28, 2009 [6 favorites]

fuq: More robot dancing yaaay

That is fucking fantastic.
posted by joedan at 5:40 PM on November 28, 2009

Best bento based on best dancing robot
posted by vespabelle at 7:36 PM on November 28, 2009

Keepon fucking rocks.

Oh and then there's these six leged robots? having some kind of dance competition.
posted by delmoi at 8:08 PM on November 28, 2009

That should be cute/funny, but I find it strangely creepy...

Wow, some of those movements carry it deep into the uncanny valley.

I'm not sure but I think the uncanny valley kind of – to extend the metaphor – fills up if you see lots of things that would fall into it. With all the CG and robots around these days I think it's having less of an effect. Either that, or people have just gotten better at not designing stuff that falls into it. I very rarely feel creeped out by CG or robots these days.

Although this one definitely does it.
posted by delmoi at 8:19 PM on November 28, 2009

That should be cute/funny, but I find it strangely creepy...

The stuff of nightmares.

I truly, for reasons unknown, find this entirely disturbing.
posted by juiceCake at 11:28 PM on November 28, 2009

Robots have no souls (aside from Keepon, which clearly has the heart of a child), so I find their dancing to be pointless and trivial. They're taking away jobs from human dancers. As a guy who tends to go for ATMs and automated checkouts, even I think that's a bit sad.

However, I do like watching robots make coffee. Especially if it's with a manual (is it still manual if a robot does it?) grinder.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:30 PM on November 28, 2009