RoboThespians sing 'I Am Not a Robot'
Robots aim to entertain by singing and acting, but are they as talented as humans? RoboThespians aren't exactly Replicants, but they probably kill at karaoke.
Robot entertainers are nothing new. We've seen mechanical maestros record albums, cover punk legends like the Ramones and even the ""="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="ccedff3e-7cef-4b37-8c02-aa43650b28b0" slug="robots-perform-doctor-who-theme" link-text="theme song to " section="news" title="Robots perform 'Doctor Who' theme" edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key"> Some robot comedians are programmed to tell jokes and can even handle those annoying human hecklers.
Even so, mechanoids are hardly known for their irony, so it's still a surprise to see RoboThespian robots sing the tune "I Am Not a Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds.
The two RoboThespian robots sing and, of course, dance The Robot to the lyrics, "I'm vulnerable, I'm vulnerable. I am not a robot."
First created in 2005 by UK company Engineered Arts, the humanoid robots are in their third generation. Should you like to recruit one to your own performing arts troupe, the RT3 model, with touchscreen kiosk, will set you back a very reasonable £55,000 ($83,300 or AU$101,700).
While the duo aren't playing instruments they still manage to entertain in their own awkwardly charming way. As an encore, the robots show off their acting skills as well with an impression of Gollum from "Lord of the Rings."