Work is hard. We all sometimes want to take a break from work, perhaps relax a bit, or maybe dance. Well it appears that robots are not immune to this feeling either. A video has gone viral online showcasing a humanoid robot that decides to give up break dishes and cause chaos, just to continue dancing.
The video is from a Chinese restaurant in California. In the clip, we see a humanoid robot wearing a cute “I’m good” apron. It also has a big LED smile on its face. However, as the video progresses, the robot smashes the table, and decides that it had done enough work. Now it was time to dance.
What did the robot do?
The robot knocks over tableware and begins its performance. As the robot waves its arms, a staff member holds it from the back, trying to make it stop. Initially, it was all fun and games, people are laughing, the staff is smiling. But the robot doesn’t listen, it is too invested to give customers a show.
Soon, three staff members try to hold the robot together, but no one knows how to make it stop. All this while the robot’s display shows two big eyes, likely to look cute, as it continues to perform its moves.
Finally, the performance seems to have come to an end. The robot dabs and stops – perhaps taking a dig at the staff for trying to stop him. The staff leaves. Robot 1 Humans 0.
How and where did this happen?
The incident was likely a promotional event for Disney’s “Zootopia 2” at a Haidilao franchise in Southern California.
According to Chinese media, Haidilao’s parent company is known to invest in automated kitchens featuring robot chefs and robot food deliveries.
According to the Daily Beast, the robot is remote-controlled. It is programmed to dance and interact with customers such as giving high fives or shaking hands. The robot can also say hello and make a heart shape.
As per reports, an employee accidentally clicked the “crazy dance” button on the robot that led to this chaos. Luckily, this off-script dance performance did not cause injuries, and things were under control after the robot stopped.
Perhaps, robots need more time before they can truly automate jobs. Though do note that in the past, Chinese robots have performed flawless moves, such as the dance at a spring festival gala last month.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Tesla are also working on improving the Optimus humanoid robot. Last year, Musk shared a clip of Optimus performing Kung Fu without human assistance.
