Dancebot is a mash-up of robot, portable speaker, and John Travolta that just wants to dance

Most modern home robots want to be companions and do all sorts of clever things, like teach you languages, or turn you into a coding god. Not Dancebot ($56). This boxy bot is instead a tiny John Travolta, its intelligent algorithm interpreting audio piped through it into dance moves. Despite being a box on legs, Dancebot can be quite expressive, due to its dual-motor legs and 360-degree-movement joints. Just probably steer clear of the advice on the Kickstarter page, which says Dancebot can “bring out the sexy in slow pieces”. Stuff suggests if you have a Dancebot jig in front of your beloved on your anniversary, blurting out a tinny message from its built-in speaker, you deserve everything that’s not coming to you.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.