[imagesource: YouTube / Boston Dynamics]
Boston Dynamics has done a good job of planting Spot, the company’s famous dancing robodog, in our imaginations.
We’ve seen the quadrupedal robot herding sheep, crushing a cold one with the boys for the Super Bowl, and we’ve even seen what the bot is capable of if put in the hands of ill-intentioned people.
But mostly, we usually see Spot dancing.
Now the company wants to remind us what these robodogs are actually here for – and that is to work more and play less.
As something that has been tested for use with both the military and law enforcement, Spot is actually less of a toy or animatronic entertainer and more of an industrial tool.
In Boston Dynamics’ new video titled No Time To Dance, the four-legged robot can be seen putting the dancing aside to carry out a range of tasks in the factory where it works.
These tasks include readings gauges, using an infrared camera to scan some equipment, and giving work orders to human employees.
Over to The Verge:
The video is really a way to show off a bunch of small but useful upgrades that Boston Dynamics is announcing for Spot: the robot’s five stereo cameras now produce full-color imagery; its tablet controller has been upgraded to a Samsung unit with a larger screen, longer battery life, and ruggedized case; it has a new charging module; and it has a new system-on-chip for faster on-device AI processing and 5G compatibility.
Okay, yes, and then there is dancing:
Sorry, Boston Dynamics, I am still way more charmed by Spot’s dancing skills than its ability to work in a factory.
I guess you know that, though.
[source:verge]
