Humanoid robots could still do the twist in 2193

If no one's complaining when the Rock-afire Explosion busts out a Bubba Sparxxx jam, we doubt the future alien population of this here planet will have any beef with an android cousin doing the Tango. In a bizarre feat of preservation, a team from the University of Tokyo, Japan has used "video motion-capture systems to record the movement of a dancer performing a Japanese folk routine called the Aizu-Bandaisan." Rather than just filing it on a DVD, however, they are teaching Kawada Industries' HRP-2 to mimic the moves, which could open the door (wider) for robotic dance teachers of the future. If you think it sounds weird, just wait 'til you catch the thing on video.

[Thanks, Eileen]

[Mr. Yetti @ Aug 10th 2007 11:55PM]

Looks like Optimus Prime doing that dance. Somehow that disturbs me.

[Count Porkula @ Aug 11th 2007 12:17AM]

Wow!! Amazing feat of engineering & coding.

This is going to revolutionize the porn industry. :)

[a ham sandwich @ Aug 11th 2007 12:18AM]

actually the moves that that robot can do are startlingly human-like

[Count Porkula @ Aug 11th 2007 12:19AM]

Wow!! Amazing feat of engineering & coding.

[Akiosarin @ Aug 11th 2007 12:30AM]

LOL O_O how the hell?! best comment I've seen in.....ages on anything xD

[matt @ Aug 11th 2007 12:36AM]

but . . . can it do The Robot?

[Fruition @ Aug 13th 2007 1:33AM]

Hmm... I think the moves involved in The Robot are far too advanced for any robot. ;)

[Philpott @ Aug 11th 2007 1:16AM]

I understand it' mocapped but the servos moving with that amount of fluidity puts animatronics to shame. And I am strangely scared.

[daarong @ Aug 11th 2007 1:42AM]

From the tone of this article, I wasn't expecting much from this video... but WOW, as an electrical engineer with computer science background... I found that quite amazing... definitely something to take note of

[malamutekid2000 @ Aug 11th 2007 1:50AM]

fuck there goes the planet

[Alvin @ Aug 11th 2007 2:22AM]

I, for one, do not welcome our Aizu-Bandaisan-dancing humanoid robot overlords.

The Enryu T53 Japan Earthquake Cleanup Robot laughs at you, dancing robot

[Revrant2394 @ Aug 11th 2007 7:12AM]

That's a good thing too, because The Twist is due for resurgence by 2190.

[g2 @ Aug 11th 2007 7:30AM]

Doh!
Just when I was planning to get off my fat ass I see this robot video.

[darkstar @ Aug 11th 2007 9:24AM]

why are its knees alwways bent?
even after dancing, it cant stand straight?

[Chuckles McGee @ Aug 11th 2007 9:52AM]

Probably helps to keep it stable.

[yang @ Sep 5th 2007 8:44AM]

Generally, it is because of the control of the humnoiad. Bascially, if the robot extends its legs extremely, then there is no methord to compute the velocity of the knee joints, which would lead to the undesired hugh velocity of the knee joints. In such a case, there will be a serious problem for the motors. So that's why almost all of the humanoid now feature a bend knee!

[ImAFreakingOverlord @ Aug 11th 2007 10:02AM]

Will it blend?

[spartan @ Aug 11th 2007 11:45AM]

i want to see him to the hammertime dance.

[spaceman @ Aug 11th 2007 12:53PM]

The one on the left looks so life like!

[ark_v2 @ Aug 11th 2007 1:18PM]

It did the bandaisan since last year. It's impressive still, but it's old.

[SteveMB @ Aug 11th 2007 1:51PM]

Or a Busta Groin jam.

[Francois @ Aug 11th 2007 6:51PM]

Am I the only one being distrubed by this robot performing naked?
Please give this poor robot a decent kimono.

[Edenbridge @ Aug 11th 2007 8:34PM]

Very nice fluid movements.

[The ZeroCorpse @ Aug 12th 2007 6:43PM]

Three things come to mind when I see this video:

1. By 2193 the old joke about White people being worse dancers than Black people will be reformatted to indicate that White people are now third in line behind robots and Black people in dancing skill.

2. If America doesn't get off it's ass and invest in some robotics study, Japan is going to have a major advantage when "World War III: With Robots" happens. (or maybe Robot War I, or CyberWar? Anyway, we're so far behind the east in robotics, it's utterly pathetic.)

3. All this focus on dancing, playing soccer, and domestic chores, but I STILL don't have a Celebrity Look-Alike Robot Sex Slave. What the heck is technology for if not to get us more sex?

[Javier Miranda @ Aug 20th 2007 10:11AM]

Which one is the robot?

[yang @ Sep 5th 2007 8:52AM]

Generally, it is because of the control of the humanoid. Basically, if
the robot extends its legs extremely, then there is no method to
compute the velocity of the knee joints, which would lead to the
undesired huge velocity of the knee joints. In such a case, there
will be a serious problem for the motors. So that's why almost all of
the humanoid now feature a bend knee!