Presumably in an attempt to make their robots look less robotic and more lifelike, Boston Dynamics has covered one of its Spot quadruped robots in blue shimmery fur and named it Sparkles. To celebrate National Dance Day on April 29th, Sparkles performed a short dance with an undressed Spot robot to show off the robots’ dexterity. There’s no denying it: Fur and dog head or not, they’re still terrifying.
Using Choreographer, a tool for authoring and controlling movement through Spot’s application programming interface (API), the robots can be taught precise dance movements by someone without technical knowledge, and perform them in synchronization. Sparkles kind of reminds me of a Muppet. Specifically, Sprocket, Doc’s dog from Fraggle Rock. There’s no way he wasn’t the inspiration for Sparkles, and there’s no way you can convince me otherwise. I’m stubborn.
The Choreographer software allows non-technical users to create dances like a choreographer instructing a dancer rather than like an engineer programming a robot. The Choreographer controller understands Spot’s physics and environment, prioritizing balance first and then following the specified steps. With this athletic intelligence baked into the robot, you can simply provide higher-level instructions while Spot does the rest. If asked to do something physically impossible, or if faced with an environmental challenge like a slippery floor, Spot will find the possible motion most similar to what was requested and do that instead—analogously to what a human dancer would do.
I was surprised to see how quickly the newest version of Spot can move. It’s nimble. My dogs? They are not so nimble and fall off the couch regularly, then get embarrassed. I try not to laugh at them, but sometimes it’s hard. I do give them extra treats afterward, though.
[via LaughingSquid]
With over 17 years of writing experience, Jonathan has had a passion for all things tech-related, ever since watching Inspector Gadget as a child. He's disassembled countless appliances and managed to put a few back together, and one still works. When not writing, he can often be found playing video games or accidentally hurting himself in the garage.