Robot dance teacher
In 2007, Japanese scientists revealed a remarkably graceful dancing robot. The robot had arms and legs and was programmed to perform certain dance moves like a human. Although it was impressive, the robot struggled with certain steps and was likely to fall over if it tried anything too complicated.
Now, 10 years later, a group of scientists from Tohoku University in Japan, led by Diego Felipe Paez Granados, have announced that they’ve developed a robot that can teach humans how to dance. Their dance-bot guides learners through new routines, responding to their movements as it goes. The robot’s face displays feedback to the learner so that they can see how they’re getting on, and the bot can be programmed to adapt to its students’ skill level.
Paez Granados and his team hope that their technology could lead to robots that can assist with rehabilitation – for example helping someone who has been injured to walk again.