BQ Unveils a 3D Printable Robot That Has Dance Moves Like Michael Jackson

We’ve all wanted to be able to dance like the late Michael Jackson. His patented moves will continue to be looked at as almost god-like for generations to come. Unfortunately for almost every one of us, we will never be able to come close to the moves that Michael was capable of in his prime. There is another option though: programming a 3D printed robot to dance like the great entertainer.

BQ, the second largest smartphone manufacturer in Spain, also has its eye set on 3D printing, scanning, and robotics. In fact, back in January we did a story about the Navarra, Spain-based company and the introduction of their ‘My First Robot Kits’. The kits are now being sold and include all the electrical components necessary to assemble various robots. Users can then also purchase the plastic frames of the robots, or 3D print them at home.

“Robotics is, above all, a means to learn. With robotics, children enhance their creativity, visual logic and social skills for team work,” states the company. “In a world where the mastery of new technologies will soon be essential for any citizen, this kit is the first step to achieve our goal: to revolutionize the learning process, even from the very first stage, playing.”

Whether you are a child or an adult, BQ is making it a breeze to program their 3D printable robots with a simple, yet very capable drag-and-drop interface. Thus far there are two robot kits available to purchase, the PrintBot Renacuajo and the PrintBot Beetle. Both of these models move around via wheels, and both are priced at under €80.

BQ, however, has a new kit they are presently working on, a kit for a walking 3D printable robot. Not only can it walk, but boy, this robot can also dance — just like Michael Jackson, as you can see in the video below:

This latest robot, which is currently unnamed (my suggestion is Michael-Bot), should be launched sometime in the next two to three months according to Yahoo Tech News. Once launched, kits will be available for under $100, and best of all, they will be completely modifiable if the user has a 3D printer. Users will have the ability to both modify current parts and design extra parts for their bot.

“The dance movements and the application that controls them are being developed in-house, working from our protocoder.org tool,” the company told 3DPrint.com. “We will release all the information when the product is launched.”

The entire project is built upon open source software and hardware, allowing anyone to modify the designs of the robots as well as the software which allow users to program them. Certainly this is an amazing way to get children interested in two of the more promising technologies of the future, robotics and 3D printing.

Let us know if you have ordered any of the BQ Printbots and what your thoughts are on the 3D printable little critters. Discuss on the BQ Printbot forum thread on 3DPB.com.