Shimmy. When you hear the word, most likely, you think of dancing. After all, it means “to shake the body”. Some inventors have put a new meaning to the word with a Kickstarter project called “Shimi”. It’s a dancing robot/speaker dock. It’ll work with your iPhone or Android phone. Once docked, Shimi will recognize the phone and begin playing music over his speakers, but here’s the cool part. Instead of random moves, he dances TO the beat of the music, tapping his feet and moving his head. Who wouldn’t want to dance with a robot?!? I know I do! Take a look at Shimi in action:
Dance with Shimi
Shimi has years of expressive robotic movement research behind him to provide seemingly realistic dance moves. He uses face recognition software to know where you are in the room. So if you’re up and dancing to the music, the sound will always be facing you, as Shimi will adjust its speakers to follow you.
The Future of Shimi
The developers say they’re already working on applications that will make Shimi know you even better. He’ll be able to learn your musical tastes and recommend songs based on those preferences in the future. And they say to expect apps for gaming, education, and telepresence uses.
How Can You Get One?
Since it’s a Kickstarter project, there are several levels of funding you can participate in if you’d like to see Shimi become a reality, starting at $1. If you chip in $149, you’ll be in the first batch of people to receive a Shimi Robot DJ for your own use. And if you do… be sure to record video of you dancing with him and send it to me!
They are currently at under $6,000 funded out of a $100,000 goal, with 29 days to go.
