The dancer is a humanoid robot with a helmet-like head. He is primarily yellow with a black face and torso. While yellow, his body flashes pink. He changes to a black base color, where he flashes pink, blue, and green.
Tomato Version
The dancer is a tomato with blue sunglasses with yellow dots around the frame, a black goatee, and two gloves (the left one is white and has a golden bracelet, and the right one is light blue). Under that, he has a green shirt with green pants. He also wears white sneakers.
Background
Classic
The background is primarily composed of turquoise computer hardware. The dancer's platform is a pointed, circular turquoise gear. The hardware flashes as the dancer spirals inward. It then spirals into some neon-lit squares, which are doors that open to the dancer's figure spinning. He then gets into a dark room with blue square and circle-shaped vents, which he spirals in to. During the bridge, he transports into a warehouse with motionless clones of him.
Tomato Version
The background takes place in a fridge with full of food and condiments. During the chorus and breakdown, the fridge turns into a dance party.
Gold Moves
Classic
There are 3 Gold Moves in the Classic routine:
Gold Moves 1 and 2: Spin your right forearm out to the right in a punching motion. Gold Move 3: Put both your arms out at a right angle.
Gold Moves 1 and 2
Gold Moves 1 and 2 in-game
Gold Move 3
Gold Move 3 in-game
Tomato Version
There are 3 Gold Moves in the Tomato Version routine:
Gold Move 1: Stand straight with your arms held at right angles almost in front of your face. Gold Move 2: Lean to the left with your right arm pointed in front of you and slowly bring it back in an upward arc. Gold Move 3: Point forward with your right arm and kick your left leg.
Gold Move 1
Gold Move 1 in-game
Gold Move 2
Gold Move 2 in-game
Gold Move 3
Gold Move 3 in-game
Trivia
Automaton is the second song by Jamiroquai in the series.
In the E3 announcement video, the pictogram have their default colors and the background is more greenish than black.
Automaton is the first solo routine where the pictograms have black arrows. In previous games, when the glove color was black (such as Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) and Rock N Roll), the pictograms' arrows were a different color.
"Where they've given me" is misinterpreted as "When they've given me".
"I steal the moon on silver nights" is misinterpreted as "I steal the moon on summer nights".
"My soul is null and void tonight" is misinterpreted as "My soul is numb and for tonight".
"And cry for freedom" is misinterpreted as "In claws of freedom".
"And tilt my head towards the sun" is misinterpreted as "And turn my head towards the sun".
"Feel like a man who fell to Earth"/"But this is not where I belong" is misinterpreted as "Feel like a man who said to us"/"That this is not where I belong".
"Junkie" is censored.
In the Alternate version, the audio is shortened at the beginning, but it was not in the Classic routine. This is the first time in the game that this has happened with a classic and its alternative.
Also, the Classic routine cuts out during the line "You know I need something I can hold onto" near the end, while the Alternate ends before said line is sung.
The Tomato Version routine is based on a pun on the song’s name, "Automaton".
In the UK preview gameplay of the Classic routine, the pictogram for Gold Moves 1 and 2 is more saturated. In the final game, it has the typical Gold Move pictogram color.
The Classic coach appears in the background of Fire as part of the character selection screen.