Watch more than 1,000 humanoid robots dance their way to a world record

Why it matters to you

It may look like a robot army preparing for an assault, but rest assured, these bots are just for boogying.

Someone in China recently had an idea to attempt a world record for most robots dancing simultaneously. If you think that’s an odd thing to try, then bear in mind that Guinness World Records also has listings for the heaviest weight lifted with an eye socket (16.2 kg), the fastest 100-hundred-meter-hurdle run wearing fins (14.82 seconds), and the most nails hammered with the human head in two minutes (38). Best you don’t try that last one at home. Or anywhere, for that matter.

The dancing robot record seems tame in comparison, but Guangzhou-based WL Intelligent Tech clearly felt it’d be an excellent way to bring some attention to its “Dobi” humanoid robot. And it was absolutely right.

On a large plaza somewhere in the city last week, company staff diligently set up more than one thousand of the 18-inch robots to attempt the dancing record.

You’ll be pleased to know that the team achieved the feat, with a total of 1,069 Dobi robots strutting their stuff in sync with one another, and as a consequence delighting the Guinness World Record officials who’d traveled to Guangzhou to verify the effort.

If you’re wondering why the company didn’t round off the number of robots to 1,100, the answer is they did, but 31 of them toppled over while attempting to pull some of the trickier dance moves, disqualifying them from the final count.

Dancing robots is evidently a thing in China, as the last record for the same feat was held by another Chinese outfit, Ever Win Company, with a total of 1,007 robots (so that’s why WL Intelligent Tech didn’t round it down to 1,000).

Currently aimed at the Chinese market, voice-controlled Dobi retails for around $250. It’s clearly a versatile contraption, with the multi-jointed robot able to quickly get on its own two feet from a lying position.

The android’s battery keeps Dobi going for about 40 minutes, and you’ll know when the juice is running low because its eyes will turn from blue to red.

You can command Dobi to turn left or right, or tell a story (in Chinese). It’ll also pull some kung fu moves if you ask it to, though mellower types may be happier watching it in yoga mode.

And of course, command it to “have a dance” and Dobi will happily boogie on the spot, whether or not 1,099 other Dobis are dancing along with it.