Boston Dynamics, a robotics company owned by Google, debut their robot dog “Spot” and this innovative new robo-dog has an innate ability to stay on its paws — if you can call them paws, as they’re actually hydraulic legs.
The latest robotic canine from the company is an autonomous robot with a sensor on its head which assists with traversing rough terrain.
In the latest video released by the company, Spot can be seeing walking through the company’s office and outside tackling some less than level terrain which it seems to navigate without any issues. It can also be seen trotting alongside a man who is casually running.
The Verge notes that its quieter and less bulky than its predecessor. A low-level whirring noise can be distinguished as the hi-tech K9 trots along.
At one point in the video, the company demonstrates the dogs ability to stay on its paws after being kicked, as a man in a hoodie pops out of nowhere and kicks the bot in its belly and while it staggers, it does manage to retain its balance without going down.
After the first attempt to knock the bot on the ground, a man in blue sneakers takes another failed attempt at knocking it down with what appears to be a significantly more powerful kick. Upon getting hit the second time, Spot slides on the concrete, but somehow manages to stay on its paws.
Google purchased the New England robotics company back in 2013. CNN reports that the purchase sparked controversy as accusations arose on the web claiming Google had gone against its “Don’t be evil” motto by purchasing a company with a history of working with the United States military. The report also indicated that the company previously had close ties with DARPA.
The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company joined Twitter in March of 2012 and has since posted a total of 2 tweets, the first of which indicated that the company wasn’t going to be tweeting much as it was busy building world class robots.
We're busy building world-class robots, so for now we won't be tweeting much.
— Boston Dynamics (@BostonDynamics) April 17, 2012
Spots’ developers, Boston Dynamics, have indicated that their latest innovation could be used to assist with search and rescue operations, mapping, and accessing disaster zones.
In its current state of development, this author finds Spot to be reminiscent of one of Ducati’s “naked” motorcycles, as the frame bars are exposed instead of enclosed.
What are your thoughts on Boston Dynamics’ new robot dog?
