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Health

Video Lab: Keepon Dancing

Tags: Health , Technology

» More stories in Health

 

Original air date:

11.21.07

Rocking Out with Japan's Cutest Robot

He's tiny, yellow, as squishy as the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and over a million people have downloaded a video of him dancing to a Spoon song.

The little robot called Keepon is much more than just another online time-waster for those with nothing better to do than update their MySpace page 50 times a day. Marek Michalowski of Carnegie Mellon University, and Hideki Kozima of Japan's National Institute of Communications Technology, designed Keepon as a tool to study dance-oriented nonverbal play involving children.

Resembling two conjoined Nerf balls with eyes , Keepon is a rubber-skinned robot designed to communicate attention and emotion by turning, nodding, rocking and bobbing his bulbous body. Cameras behind his eyes and a microphone in his nose add to his interactivity. He's the first product of Michalowski and Kozima's Beatbots, which aims to develop robots that interact with people through "social rhythms": matching the periodic, rhythmic movements of our bodies, heads and hands with bouncy dance moves.  As the pair writes on the project's website, "We believe that rhythmic synchrony is as important for establishing engagement, rapport, and comfort between a robot and a person as it is between people,". Coming soon: Keepon's lower-cost, blue sibling, Roillo.

Michalowski and Kozima posted a demo video of Keepon getting down - and up, and around and around - to the Spoon song, "I Turn My Camera On". It became a viral hit on YouTube, logging some 1.5 million downloads and counting. It got the attention of the band, who invited Keepon to star in another video - with band members making cameo appearances - for their song "Don't You Evah". WIRED SCIENCE brings it to you here.

CommentsComments

76 Posts

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11.21.07 5:56 PM PST

AMG123

I want one!

11.21.07 7:11 PM PST

Dirk Bruehl

Today when looking at WIRED SCIENCE first time I saw this amazing little Keepon Robot. It’s great! It looks easy and simple, but I guess there is a lot of technology behind. I love it!

11.21.07 10:08 PM PST

Ziru

Totally agree. This robot is so cute, and I love it too!

11.23.07 1:25 PM PST

Mark

Wow! It's Alive! Keepon Groovin'!!!

11.23.07 3:58 PM PST

swanee

Yaaaaa it made me smile !!!!!!

11.29.07 9:02 AM PST

Ohar

i womt one too

12.2.07 12:03 PM PST

Ohar

when can I buy one

1.3.08 9:59 PM PST

hesk

I want one too, where can we get one?

1.15.08 10:24 AM PST

becca

this is just too adorable! i am wondering where you get one and how much they cost! a lot i guess. :)

2.14.08 10:29 AM PST

Trish

I just found more vids!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QTnyAg2Mho4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LSU59D_dyKE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SczYTEBVYlE

5.8.08 11:37 AM PDT

michele olding

How much for Keepon and where can I order one ? !

6.7.09 6:24 PM PDT

anonymous

In Japan I heard they were like two dollars. But another price I heard was $30,000! Too, bad. I heard they weren't for sale to the public. They are just used for research.

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Jen

I LOVE Keepon!!!! I just saw the Keepon dancing video on "Wired Science," and had to go online and research it's story. I am so impressed and amused by not just the simplicity of the overall appearance, which is adorable, but by it's purpose. Keepon is neat and I wouldn't mind a bit haveing one myself!

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