SYDNEY (AFP) - A GROUP of more than 300 Australian university students grooved their way into the history books on Tuesday, setting a new world record for the largest ever robot dance.

A total of 318 people swung in robotic unison on the lawns of the University of Melbourne to take the record, previously held by a group of 276 students from Britain's University of Kent.

A few wallflowers were initially overcome by shyness but the five-minute routine went off without a hitch the second time around, organisers said.

Some were wrapped head to toe in foil while others sported pirate costumes, and a film student captured the event on camera for a robot-dance documentary.

It was an initiative of student group 'Robogals", which aims to encourage more women to study engineering and computer science.

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