Spot picks up rubbish in a demonstration of its new weapon features.
Boston Dynamics Video Screenshot by Amanda Kooser / CNET
They dance. They explore mine. They help medical workers. Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dogs are constantly learning new tricks, and they now have a whole range of fresh moves thanks to a robot arm and a new programming interface.
Boston Dynamics on Monday released a video showing what Spot can do with its robotic arm system. The arm is mounted on the front of the robot and can perform fine motor skills, such as digging a hole for a plant and making chalk drawings.
“Now that Spot has an arm, in addition to legs and cameras, it can also do mobile manipulation,” Boston Dynamics said. “It finds and picks up objects (garbage), opens up the living room, opens doors, operates switches and valves, takes care of the garden and generally has fun.”
Each new Spot video contributes to the robot’s impressive resume. Perhaps the most striking piece of footage is three spots playing skipping rope with the robots on either side twisting the rope perfectly in line with each other.
The basic Spot robot is available with optional add-ons, including a tablet controller and a lidar system. The Spot Arm video is a preview of what could come with the launch of Boston Dynamics of an extensive Spot product range on February 2nd. You can watch the live stream of the unveiling event on Tuesday at 08:00 PT.
The company promises to expand Spot’s value for autonomous inspection and data collection.
Do not be surprised to see more spots in nature. After years of development and testing, Spot finally offered for sale mid-2020 for $ 74,500. Yes, that’s a lot, but did you know it can jump?
See also: Best robot vacuum cleaners for 2021: iRobot Roomba, Eufy, Electrolux, Neato and more
Look at this:
How Ford built a Boston Dynamics robot in one of its …
4:08