Boston Dynamics Announces New Quadruped: Spot

Boston Dynamics employees have recently showcased their newest member of the ‘Dog’ team: Spot. Boston Dynamics’ latest quadruped has an incredible ability to self-stabilize and more than one employee has been given the opportunity to literally kick Spot, to see if he will get up after being kicked down to the floor.  The robot looks as though it is considerably more agile than the robot manufacturers’ BigDog, as it races up a hilly terrain. The robot can also roam in a tight formation with another Spot unit. According to Boston Dynamics, unlike the unusually small Little Dog, Spot has a “head” that is packed with sensors that assists it conquering a variety of ground cover.

The robot innovators’ newest machine receives its power via electricity and hydraulics are used to move the quadruped’s feet. This probably explains the relatively silent manoeuvring capabilities of Spot, compared to its bigger and bulkier counterparts. Spot’s best feature is undoubtedly the ability to walk around, untethered and completely on its own. No matter what the kind of terrain or even the angle, Spot is able to negotiate its way across it. Just like the BigDog, Spot’s legs are electrically powered and it is actuated by hydraulics, and the array of sensors are what helps it to navigate.

Spot weighs only 160lbs, therefore it is not going to be able to lift the kind of things that BigDog is capable of. Just what is Spot going to be used for? Well, nobody really knows, because as yet, the company has not revealed what purposes it is designed for, apart from learning and experimentation. No doubt the military will be looking deeply into this new addition to the robot quadruped collective the Google owned, Boston Dynamics has on offer.

[Image via YouTube]

SOURCE: http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/10/boston-dynamics-spot-kick-the-dog