SOUTH KOREA: Robot performs South Korean singer Psy's horse-riding dance moves

Record ID: 401884

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Robot performs South Korean singer Psy's horse-riding dance moves
  • Date: 19th June 2013
  • Summary: COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING DANCE MOVEMENT
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Entertainment,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAC52FGA9S88E6YQJR2XB23UM4O
  • Story Text: A robot developed by South Korean researchers performs K-pop singer Psy's famous horse-riding dance moves.
    South Korean researchers have developed a robot aimed at learning human dance moves.
    Its repertoire includes the horse-riding dance made famous by South Korean singer Psy.
    "Hubo 2" was created by a group of South Korean scientists from the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and is 1.3-metre tall and weighs 45 kg.
    Researchers said the robot's movements are made to look realistic since the arms are allowed more natural movement, and the legs can stretch to imitate human walking with flexible limbs that can even allow it to dance.
    "Out of all the gestures a robot can make, the most representative motion is dancing. So we taught Hubo how to dance the dance from Gangnam style, a beloved song for the people in the world last year. Hubo is really good at dancing Gangnam style," said South Korean director of Humanoid Robot Research Centre at KAIST, Oh Jun-ho.
    By tracking a dancer's movements with motion-capture cameras, the researchers have reported success in making the humanoid move like Psy.
    "There are eight motion-capture cameras and dancers will have these shiny "markers" on their body. When the dancers dance Gangnam style or any other dance, all the data related to the motions is inputted into the computer. Then we convert the data to be compatible with Hubo, and Hubo learns how to dance like a human being," Oh added.
    Oh said the robots will serve as an effective educational platform to train students worldwide for academic use.
    KAIST said that a total of nine units of the robot have already been delivered to research institutes and universities in Singapore, United States, and China.
    Researchers said Google has ordered two units of the humanoid robot for about $40 million U.S. dollars per unit. The purpose for Google's purchase of Hubo 2, however, is of yet unknown, Oh added.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.
Register