The last time we saw Spot dance, it was with the entire Boston Dynamics family at the end of last year. That was mostly a showcase of how much Atlas, the company’s bipedal robot, had come from the days when it could barely walk. In a new solo display, we get to see it move to “Start Me Up” from The Rolling Stones in honor of the 40th anniversary of their 1981 album Tattoo You. And if you thought Spot dancing was too close to the uncanny valley, wait until you see it lip-sync. It is truly the stuff of nightmare fuel.
Boston Dynamics releases these types of videos at a regular cadence almost as if to remind those watching, “Yes, we still exist.” Earlier in the year, Hyundai completed its acquisition of the company, making it the third owner of the firm in the span of a decade. More recently, the automaker detailed how it would put Spot to work at its assembly plants in South Korea. Bet Spot isn’t doing too much dancing there.