Watch: Boston Dynamics robots bid adieu to 2020 with viral dance


Kelsey Warner
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They can mash-potato, shake 'em down and do the twist.

Robotics company Boston Dynamics unleashed its entire line-up of robots on the dance floor jamming to Do you Love Me by The Countours and the video is going viral, with more than 3.2 million views on YouTube.

"Our whole crew got together to celebrate the start of what we hope will be a happier year," the company said in the video description.

Hilary Sutcliffe, director at technology think tank SocietyInside in London, pointed out on LinkedIn that while "the whole crew got together" makes it seem "like it was a spontaneous 'hey guys let's all go for a boogie', the performance reflects what in reality was perhaps months of painstaking programming!"

This isn't the first time Boston Dynamics has shown off the moves of its robots, with its YouTube channel showing its humanoid robot Atlas doing everything from parkour to its dog-like Spot pulling a rickshaw.

Spot also captured attention for doing the Running Man to Uptown Funk in 2018, a rendition which shows how far the company's technology has come.

"This is not CGI," Elon Musk quipped in a tweet that's been retweeted nearly 12,000 times.

Hyundai purchased Boston Dynamics from SoftBank for $1.1 billion earlier this month. The US company, founded in 1992, is a spin-off from the research university Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was bought by Alphabet’s X division in 2013, and then by Softbank in 2017, according to tech news site the Verge.

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December 9: USA v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

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UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs

Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)

1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0

Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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