Spot, Boston Dynamics' robot dog, wishes you a Merry Christmas in this video
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Spot, the dog-like quadruped robot from Boston Dynamics has been featured in yet another video that showcases its capabilities. This time, Spot has helped the team decorate the Christmas tree, and the 90-second video greeting is totally worth a watch.
Boston Dynamics has promoted Spot as a robot that one can use to navigate tough terrain and automate repetitive tasks. The four-legged robot has been adopted by industries to carry out tasks in the toughest of environments. Boston Dynamics, though, keeps pushing the dog in newer environments, and the video wasn't anything short of a challenge, either.
What happens in the video?
The holiday-themed video features a Spot carrying a giant red bow meant to go onto a big Christmas tree, perhaps placed in one of the areas at the technology company. The robot is equipped with an extendable arm. However, even with full extension of the arm, it cannot place the bow in the right place.
Spot1, as we will now refer to him, leaves the frame as though looking for something to help and reenters the scene with two more robots, Spot2 and Spot3, who take up the challenge to bow the tree.
The new robots do not have any arm extenders and instead team up side by side to make a step ladder for the Spot1, who, after ensuring that the ladder is in place, takes his position on it.
Next, Spot2 and Spot3 straighten themselves up, giving Spot1 the much-needed elevation from where it can extend its robotic arm and place the bow in the intended place and adding to the holiday cheer.
Man's new best friend
Spot's videos are always a demonstration of the versatility of the robot and the recent one was no exception. The bow is a lightweight payload for a robot that can carry 30 pounds (14 kg) of payload and balance itself dynamically, even in uncertain surroundings.
The bareback of the robot is purposely designed to accommodate third-party hardware using mounting rails or payload ports. The robot is equipped with a 360-degree perception that helps it avoid obstacles and cruise over surfaces such as loose gravel grass or even climb up stairs.
It is hardly a surprise that Spot's achievements have resulted in a flurry of imitations in the robotics market. Some users have customized them for nefarious means, but Boston Dynamics remains committed to using their robots for industrial purposes and not military ones.
If the abilities of these robots had you worried that they could one day take over the world, you only need to look at the video above completely to know how clumsy the robotic dogs can be. The video was shared on a video-sharing site with the caption, "Spot was teleoperated by professional operators, don't try this at home."
The robots are far away from being completely autonomous and even the slightest threat. Like their natural counterpart, they are man's new best friend and can help make life easier for you.
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