In their latest music video for the song Love, the band OK Go turned to robotics to achieve a highly complex visual concept—synchronizing 25 robotic arms to create precise, dynamic mirror effects in a single-shot video. Known for visually striking productions, the band’s newest effort may be their most technically intricate yet.
The production, filmed in a train station in Budapest, involved over 60 people from 10 countries. The central concept was built around mirrors and infinite reflections. According to co-director Miguel Espada, the video used mirror placement and movement to represent the theme of love through the visual metaphor of multiplying reflections. This required a level of precision not feasible with manual setups.
“To achieve infinite reflections, two mirrors must be perfectly parallel,” Espada explained. “Even slight misalignment distorts the effect. We needed not only precision but also dynamic movement. Robots were the clear solution.”
Espada, along with co-directors Damian Kulash and Aaron Duffy, led a series of workshops to prototype the scenes using robotic arms provided by Universal Robots (UR). The UR robots were chosen for their ease of use, reliability, and safety features. Their collaborative nature allowed for human-robot interaction in a crowded, fast-paced film set without compromising safety.
Programming the choreography of the robots required advanced technical coordination. The team used UR’s real-time control protocol (RTDE) to synchronize the movements of over 30 robots with the song’s 78 beats per minute. The system relied on a dual-layer architecture: a Python-based controller managing individual robots and a C++ layer using OpenFrameworks to coordinate animations.
Despite extensive preparation, much of the process involved on-the-fly problem solving. “We had tested individual scenes, but not the entire sequence,” said Espada. “Scene transitions proved the most difficult, requiring precise coordination between the band, the camera crew, and the robots.”
One of the standout scenes features a kaleidoscope effect forming around Kulash’s head. It required the robots to position mirrors with millimeter-level accuracy, while simultaneously allowing space for the camera and crew to move. While a full animatic was created before shooting, new effects and adjustments were made throughout the two-day shoot.
Robotic choreography also had to adapt to human limitations. “We had to understand that robots and humans move differently. It wasn’t a limitation, just a different approach,” Espada noted. Much of the movement was programmed collaboratively, with key positions defined manually and then integrated into the animation timeline.
After numerous attempts, the final version was successfully captured on the 39th take. The UR robots performed consistently throughout the shoot, with adjustments taking only seconds between takes. While the human elements of the production were subject to fatigue and variability, the robots delivered consistent performance.
Reflecting on the project, Espada emphasized the role of robotic precision in realizing the artistic vision. “It would’ve been impossible to do this any other way. The robots never miss their mark.”
