Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Even a robot has now mastered the ridiculous Bottle Cap Challenge

Published Jul 13th, 2019 9:01AM EDT
Bottle Cap Challenge
Image: Photo by Newscast/Shutterstock

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Over the past week or so, one celebrity after another has stepped up to offer their take on nailing the Bottle Cap Challenge. I thought Mariah Carey’s was particularly funny, as she used one of her signature high notes to seemingly de-cap a bottle. Regular people have likewise offered a number of creative takes on this latest viral Internet sensation, which we won’t link to here.

Meanwhile, you knew this was coming — yes, friends, a robot has now nailed the challenge, as well.

What you see in the tweet below is a visual demonstration of how a robot called RoboRaise works. The new robot from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab basically mimics the action of a human by duplicating the movement of its arm. It wasn’t built specifically to show off its prowess relative to the Bottle Cap Challenge, but someone there apparently has a nose for virality and, well, there you go.

Per MIT, the system behind this robot uses electromyography sensors attached to a user’s biceps and triceps, which the robot monitors. “Its algorithms then continuously detect changes to the person’s arm level, as well as discrete up-and-down hand gestures the user might make for finer motor control,” an MIT release explains.

The robot was no doubt designed with a number of useful applications in mind. According to MIT, a team has already used the system for tasks like picking up and assembling mock airplane components.

But as a final note — okay, okay, maybe we’re being a little generous by describing what you see above as mastering the challenge. The robot unit is just an arm, so it can’t perform a Jason Statham-style bottle cap spin-and-kick move (something that’s earned the actor more than 22 million views on Instagram). Nevertheless, it was perhaps inevitable to see someone work with a robot to perform this latest challenge that’s driving the Internet crazy.

Andy Meek Trending News Editor

Andy Meek is a reporter based in Memphis who has covered media, entertainment, and culture for over 20 years. His work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times, and he’s written for BGR since 2015. Andy's coverage includes technology and entertainment, and he has a particular interest in all things streaming.

Over the years, he’s interviewed legendary figures in entertainment and tech that range from Stan Lee to John McAfee, Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings.