Military Robot Deployed as Nightclub DJ

"We are not trying to apologize for the strength of robots."

Robot Rock

Everyone knows San Francisco has been captured by tech elites, but we didn't expect robots to start replacing the key job position of disc jockeys, even in the city by the bay, quite this quickly.

As the San Francisco Gate reports, an AI-powered humanoid robot meant to be deployed by the military took on an entirely different kind of battleground last weekend when it commanded the decks at the city's Temple Nightclub.

Built by the Foundation Robotics Lab startup, the sleek black Phantom robot spun tech house beats for attendees of the so-called "GigaParty," an extremely cringe-sounding networking event slash club night celebrating the "first 25 years of the 21st century — and [glimpsing] the next 75!"

With tickets ranging from $35 to $3000, guests seemingly got their money's worth when Phantom made his — the robot's creators insist that it uses he/him pronouns — DJ debut. It was the robot's first public appearance, though as Foundation cofounder Mike LeBlanc told SFGate, there are others in the Phantom line currently being used by the US military.

A 13-year veteran of the Marines, LeBlanc proclaims Foundation is currently the only robotics company crafting "humanoids" for American national defense. While we can't independently verify that claim, it is true, as SFGate notes, that companies like Boston Dynamics have explicitly prohibited the "weaponization" of their general-purpose wares.

"We’re the opposite," LeBlanc countered. "We believe that humanoids are going to be critical to the future of warfare. Hence, designing robots that are bigger, faster, stronger."

Fun and Done

Despite counting the Department of Defense as one of its biggest contractors, Foundation's humanoid robots aren't currently in combat. Instead, as the cofounder told the website, they're primarily used for aircraft maintenance and refueling in remote regions.

Phantom's appearance at the GigaParty is an obvious departure from "his" usual routine, but as LeBlanc puts it, the robot was essentially on a cultural diplomacy mission.

"We are not trying to apologize for the strength of robots," the Foundation cofounder said. "So for us, this is the perfect unveiling because this is what our robot is. This is a fun moment."

Fun, of course, is subjective — but the novelty of seeing a military robot DJ at a club is pretty striking, even if it was at a stuffy SF networking event.

More on robots: Chick-fil-A Using Advanced Squeezing Robots to Conduct Huge Lemon Party