Ronnie Wood, Mick, Keef. The resemblance is almost uncanny.
Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET
The world’s greatest rock and roll band has met its match in the world’s greatest robot dog. Boston Dynamics’ creepy-cute Spot whipped out its best moves-like-Jagger impression in a shot-by-shot video tribute to The Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit (and Windows 95 commercial jingle) Start Me Up.
The video shows Spot mimicking the dancing and singing of front man Mick Jagger at his ’80s swaggiest. That alone would be plenty wild, but then the video expands to show an entire Spot-staffed version of the band performing the raunchy rock song.
There’s a Spot-Jagger, a Spot-Keith Richards, a Spot-Ronnie Wood and a Spot-Charlie Watts. Watts, the famed drummer, died this year prior to the band’s current US tour. Keen eyes might wonder about the omission of a Spot playing the role of bassist Bill Wyman (he retired from the band in the early ’90s).
Boston Dynamics’ robots have shown off their dance moves before, notably in a video with Korean pop music megastars BTS. They’ve also been engaged in more serious work as medical helpers.
The side-by-side Boston Dynamics video acts as an odd but endearing homage to the Stones’ Tattoo You era. The band is celebrating the album’s 40th anniversary with a new version that includes previously unreleased tracks.