The Rolling Stones have partnered with American robotics company Boston Dynamics to produce a new video for their 1981 smash Start Me Up.
In a new video released by Boston Dynamics, a quartet of Spot robots re-enact the video for Start Me Up, unerringly replicating Mick Jagger's moves and even lip-syncing to the original lyrics, making the line "If you start me up, I'll never stop" sound a great deal more ominous than it did 40 years ago.
The video is the latest release from a company whose early robot videos (featuring the alarming Big Dog robots) have paved a way for something altogether less terrifying. Gone are the hairy spider legs and the Mad Max aesthetic, replaced by bright metallics colours and slickly-choreographed dance videos.
It's not all cuteness and boogie, however: Last year the NYPD trialled a robot dog from Boston Dynamics, but it was withdrawn from service after being criticised for being a dystopian harbinger of overly aggressive policing.
"Working with robots is really interesting," Start Me Up choreographer Monica Thomas told Dance Magazine earlier this year. "Obviously human bodies have all sorts of constraints and possibilities, but robots - especially as you move past bipeds - really push into new territory."
It's not Start Me Up's first association with technology. In 1995 Microsoft paid the band US$3 million to use the song in their marketing campaign for the Windows 95 operating system.
The Rolling Stones are currently on tour in the US, their first shows since the death of drummer Charlie Watts. Their next show as at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas tomorrow night, and the 40th anniversary edition of Tattoo You is out now.
Rolling Stones US tour dates
Nov 02: Dallas Cotton Bowl Stadium, TX
Nov 06: Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium, NV
Nov 11: Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA
Nov 15: Detroit Ford Field, MI
Nov 20: Austin Circuit of The Americas, TX
Nov 23: Hollywood Hard Rock Live, FL
