Boston Dynamics SpotMini Twerks Its Robot Booty To Uptown Funk
Last week, we witnessed Atlas jumping over logs and up a three-step platform using a single leg to "push off". This time around, SpotMini is dancing its ass off to "Uptown Funk". We don't think that the SpotMini's dance moves will put Bruno Mars out of a job anytime soon, but it's no doubt impressive to see this four-legged creature doing the running man and hot-stepping all over the place to the catchy beat.
In fact, SpotMini's moves are a bit unsettling in some aspects, as it proceeds to shake its rump while its robotic "head" turns around to face the camera. That's just a tad bit creepy in our books.
All of these [usually humorous] videos are just a precursor to what will happen next year. In 2019, Boston Dynamics says that it will begin the first commercial deployments of SpotMini.
“The SpotMini robot is one that was motivated by thinking about what could go in an office — in a space more accessible for business applications — and then, the home eventually,” said Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert at a robotics event at UC Berkley earlier this year.
SpotMini weighs 66 pounds and is capable of roaming autonomously through a home or a building; it can walk up and down stairs, unload a dishwasher, or even fetch you a beer if you're thirsty. However, we have the feeling that SpotMini will be prohibitively expensive for home use -- at least initially. So, we'll probably see man's best [robotic] friend show up in industrial settings when it first goes on sale in 2019.
