If you didn't know there was a world record for the most dancing robots in one place at one time, you do now. And the record's just been smashed - 1,069 humanoid robots got together in Guangzhou, China to strut their stuff, breaking the old record by 62 droids.
The bots are made by the WL Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd, and to smash the record for "most robots dancing simultaneously", they all had to work through a choreographed routine together – this was programmed dancing, not a freestyle free-for-all.
Whether it was the pressure of the occasion or the demands of the beat, a few of the 'Dobi' robots got overwhelmed and toppled over, so they were deducted from the final total.
Sweet moves
Everything was controlled via a single console to keep the droids moving in unison, under the watchful eyes of officials from Guinness World Records.
The stunt was set up to help promote the 18-inch Dobi robot, so it's certainly achieved that goal. The robots cost the equivalent of around £260, US$330 or AU$420 in China, and can talk to their owners, perform Tai Chi, and read out stories. Oh, and they can dance too.
That's right, before the intelligent robots decide to overthrow us, they'll be invading our nightclubs and wedding functions, coming up with synchronized dance moves that mere human beings can't hope to keep up with.
While home robots have been around for several years, they haven't yet proved useful or compelling enough to sell in huge numbers yet. It seems most of us prefer a smart speaker instead. Smash a few more world records, though, and these bots might suddenly become a must-have home accessory.
