Gallery: 5 Robots That Can Get Their Groove On
01hrp-4c-dancing
In case you haven't heard, Rebecca Black pulled her ["Friday" video](http://venturebeat.com/2011/06/16/omg-rebecca-black-pulls-down-her-friday-video/) from YouTube this week. Now what are we going to be "so excited" about? Over here at Gadget Lab, we're so excited about robots. We've seen robots that can [crawl and walk](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/05/pneuborn-robots/), ones that can [climb walls](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/05/sticky-film-sri/) using electroadhesive film, and some that are a bit less talented, but just look [darn good](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/hardware-that-rocks/). Today, we focus on bots that have one thing in common: These guys can dance. Check out everything from the HRP-4C's [uncanny valley](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/tag/uncanny-valley/)-straddling popstar-style moves (above), to the cute, cheerful bouncing of the squishy yellow Keepon. I wonder how long we're going to have to wait for a *[Saturday Night Fever](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076666/)* cast entirely with robots. I give it two years. __Above:__ Pop Sensation HRP-4C -------------------- HRP-4C is half fembot, half stormtrooper, and all talent. Over 30 motors in HRP-4C's humanoid form allow her 5-foot, 2-inch frame to move like a human. She was developed by the [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology](http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html) in Japan. The [video above](http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/10/19/videos-cybernetic-human-robot-hrp-4c-dancing/) is from the 2010 [Digital Content Expo](http://www.dcexpo.jp/en/), which took place in October. Her voice is that of Kaori Mochida, a Japanese pop star, after being run through AIST's synthesizer software called VocalListener. Her most recent escapade, below, is performing at Yamaha Motors' booth at the 2011 Jisso Protec show. Maybe we'll get to see her stateside at CES 2012. I can only hope. http://www.youtube.com/embed/fqsAz-s4kjQ
02sarcos-robot-dancing
Dancing, Balancing Sarcos ------------------------- Sarcos is a robot that can balance and move on two legs like a human. It can also dance by mimicking motion captured moves from its creator, [Benjamin Stephens](http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bstephe1/), a recent Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. "That robot is special in that it has full body force control, so balance is really difficult," Stephens says. "Using motion capture is a really useful tool." Stephens' research centered on balance and push recovery for force-controlled humanoid robots. He hopes to help humanoid and legged robots become more capable of operating in "rough and uncertain environments." Unsurprisingly, he's taking that knowledge with him to [Boston Dynamics](http://www.bostondynamics.com/"). You know, the makers of [Big Dog](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/bigdog/)?
03lightsaber-choreography
Lightsaber Choreography ----------------------- Alright, this one may be a bit of a stretch, but if you consider performing choreography dancing, then these [robotic lightsabers](http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/jedi-vs-sith-in-robot-lightsaber-duel) are near-professional. The Motoman 7-axis Robo Arms are a product of Yaskawa, a Japanese robot maker, and were on display at the [International Conference on Robotics and Automation](http://www.icra2011.org/). The robotic arms are actually [designed for welding](http://www.motoman.com/feature/7-axis-robots.php), rather than wielding light sabers. But a choreographed duel is a fantastic way to show off their speed, agility and range of movement (and get some press attention).
04roomba-rumba
The Roomba Rumba ---------------- The Roomba at the [Nara Institute of Technology](http://www.naist.jp/en/) (NAIST) may not be ready for any ballroom dancing championships any time soon, but it can definitely out-dance *your* vacuum cleaner. Hiro, the Roomba's human dance partner, uses a Kinect and the [OpenNI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenNI) framework to track and analyze his samba motions. The position of the bot is managed with [ARToolKit](http://www.hitl.washington.edu/artoolkit/). The [Roomba](http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/06/13/japanese-robot-geek-dances-rumba-with-a-roomba-video/) acts as the lady in this video, following Hiro's movements and even spinning when he circles his hand.
05keepon-keepin-on
Keepon Keepin' On ----------------- We couldn't leave out [BeatBots](http://beatbots.net/)' adorable bouncing [Keepon robot](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/entertainment/music/multimedia/2007/09/mag_spoon). Keepon has been charming children and the interwebs since 2003. Technically, it's used for research in social development and communication ... when it's not rhythmically wiggling about to tunes like Spoon's *Don't You Evah*. Keepon has cameras located in its eyes and a mic in its nose, and has four degrees of movement: It can rotate up to 180 degrees, nod its head, rock side to side, or bob up and down to direct its attention and express emotion. The video above is an offshoot of co-creator Marek Michalowski's Ph.D. research in rhythm and synchrony with regards to social interaction with autistic children. [Psychological studies](http://univ.nict.go.jp/people/xkozima/infanoid/index-eng.html) have shown positive results for Keepon as a tool for parents, therapists and pediatricians working with children with developmental disorders. Keepon will actually available to the masses this fall as a [$40 toy version](http://beatbots.net/2011/01/31/my-keepon-from-wow-stuff/) (The high-end research version has a less accessible $30,000 price tag). The consumer Keepon will have no cameras or teloperation capabilities, but it will be able to interact in one of two modes: music or touch. In music mode, it will be able to detect rhythms (clapping, snapping, drum beats or just from music that's playing) and dance to them. In touch mode, Keepon uses the sensors on its body to respond to pokes and pats, and games can be played using this feature.
