By the end of the year, Spot will be Boston Dynamics’ first commercially sold robot. In an office or warehouse, these mechanical quadrupeds use artificial intelligence to perform daily tasks. You can also remotely control them with a tablet.
Preview several times in videos and demonstrations, “Spot” will soon be visible for “real” since Boston Dynamics has announced that it will soon be available for sale. Present at the show Mars in Las Vegas, the firm created the event with its ” dogs ” who walked in front of the visitors of this event dedicated to artificial intelligence.
The question is who can use these four-legged robots? First, they have two modes.
They can be remotely controlled with a sort of tablet, and have them essentially perform handling tasks such as moving cartons or pulling very heavy objects. Then, and that’s where they become interesting, it’s self-contained.
One thousand copies per year
Still, in an industrial setting, they can play the foremen, as in Japan last year, or play the cerber to protect a place. Because we must not forget that they are fast, strong, and therefore ” intelligent “. As long as they have mapped the place where they frolic, they can be autonomous.
In Las Vegas, Boston Dynamics performed a demonstration where Spot was collecting items, including a stuffed toy that was then given to a real police dog! The goal? Show that despite their rather frightening appearance, they are “nice robots”, as can be a pet. They can even dance!
For now, the price is not known but the CEO, Marc Raibert, hopes to produce 1,000 per year, and the first should arrive by the end of the year when the tests will be completed.