Keepon dancing robot busts moves, hearts

While robots capable of kinda sorta dancing along with music are hardly anything new, few can match the moves this recently developed "Keepon" robot is capable of busting out -- without arms or legs, no less. Developed by Carnegie Mellon's Marek Michalowski and Hideki Kozima of Japan's National Institute of Communications Technology, the little yellow bot uses a gimbal-based system to move through about as full a range of motions as two spheres are capable of, and is able to react to visual stimulation in addition to music thanks to some built-in cameras. Sadly, this dancing machine remains confined to the lab for the time being, although you can check out a couple of videos of it in action by clicking on the read link below.

[Via New Scientist]

[Brian Z. @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:23AM]

Holy crap! The little thing hears things in the music that I don't notice until it starts dancing to them.

Damn cute, too.

[Xtopher Robin @ Mar 23rd 2007 8:01AM]

Holy crap! I totally want one of those for my dashboard! WAY cooler (and cuter) than any bobble-head!

[strider_mt2k @ Mar 23rd 2007 8:34AM]

I don't want to get all Asimovian like I tend to but I'm pretty sure most robots WANT to be told to do this and would be happy to do so.

That is if the ending of the movie "Robots" taught me anything at all.

[John @ Mar 23rd 2007 11:42AM]

That's so friggin cute! I want one. Wayyyyyyyy better than the dancing coke can. (Sorry dancing coke can fans)

[Daniel Cheung @ Mar 23rd 2007 12:34PM]

I have had the opportunity to meet with Hideki Kozima and listen to him do a talk on Keepon and various other robots. The breakthrough here is the usage of the robots in therapy; Keepon was very successful at helping researchers understand human-robot interaction when it was placed in a Japanese daycare/therapy centre that helped autistic children. When placed within a "normal" daycare, the children bonded with Keepon almost instantly....quite different from the therapy centre.

It is important to note that Keepon was operated via a human operator for these two situations. The environment was too complex to program for. However, Keepon does have programming to operate autonomously when it is in a simpler environment (i.e. single child interaction).

[Charles Bernard @ Apr 14th 2007 3:48AM]

I gather there will be something like this available for home use in the near future.

[Crump @ May 2nd 2007 8:51AM]

i think this robot is soo cool
id enjoy wathcing it at the end of my bed
ouncing to the beats ima listening to innit. ]
;

[++good @ Aug 16th 2007 10:55PM]

OMG!! I want one now! I'll pay $500 for one if i can get it by Christmas. That thing is the cutest. If they ever market it, they'll make millions. Especially if they can come in different colors.

Awesome stuff, Thanks Spoon for bringing it out in the open.

[embuck @ Sep 19th 2007 3:09PM]

I seriously need one Keepon to dance to my music...

[LISA NICHOLS @ Sep 24th 2007 10:05AM]

LMAO


im gay

yes

:)

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 10:22AM]

i am not gay SOPHIE BIRCH IS!!!!!

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 10:22AM]

SOPHIE BIRCH IS GAY

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 10:25AM]

indeed i am a leisiban but im not butch!!!! im a girky girl!!!!

[sophie anne @ Sep 24th 2007 10:26AM]

lisa nichols
is a big
fat
butch
lesbian

:]

[sophie anne @ Sep 24th 2007 10:31AM]

get over yourself :)

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 10:33AM]

sophie i want your babies!!! n tough i will be getin your nu number you no you want me all you need to do is addmit it to the world!!!
take my hand in marriage and we'll be the happiest lesibian couple in the world!!!
i love you

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 10:36AM]

i want you badly!!! you are my world!! my sophie!!!

[lisa @ Sep 24th 2007 11:07AM]

wats my mum got to do with this

[Mandy @ Jan 15th 2008 3:36PM]

Keepon is sooooooo cute! I found more more of him on You Tube. Check out the vids at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yC0n3RahCE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1H4JlJcIhc. He looks like a marshmallow peep!

[Mark @ Feb 6th 2008 12:59PM]

I found a site with lots of them! www.cmu.edu/robou

[Csilla @ Sep 1st 2008 8:47AM]

Hi everybody!
I'd like to get a keepon robot such this. Please help me how can I buy this. I'm a Hungarian girl and I don't know wheter I would buy one in my country. I would be so happy if someone would send me some information. Thanks!