Mail Dog: Robotic Dog 'Spot' Could Deliver Your Next Package
While some companies are researching how to use drones or autonomous
vehicles to deliver goods to customers, one company has trained a
robotic dog to do the job.
"Spot" is a four-legged, canine-like machine created by the Google-owned technology firm Boston Dynamics. The robot
was first introduced in a 2015 video on YouTube, in which Spot can be
seen running, climbing stairs and maintaining its balance even after it
is pushed. Now, Spot can also deliver packages that are strapped to its
back, Boston Dynamics founder and CEO Marc Raibert announced at this
week's TED2017 conference, Wired UK reported.
"We've been taking our robot to employees' homes to see whether we
could get in the various access ways," Raibert said during the talk,
according to Wired. "We're doing very well, about 70 per cent of the
way."
The robot dog
also has a smaller sibling, called "SpotMini," which looks like a cross
between a large dog and a small giraffe. SpotMini trotted onstage during
the recent event and showcased its abilities, according to the TED blog.
SpotMini creates a map of the world around it, which allows the robot
to navigate different obstacles with ease, Raibert said in the
presentation. The bot traversed an obstacle course onstage and even
delivered Raibert a soda, according to the TED blog.
Beyond delivery services, Boston Dynamics is testing other uses for
these robots, including tasks on factory production lines, The
Telegraph reported.
Spot and SpotMini are only two members of Boston Dynamics' robot
portfolio. The company has also developed a humanoid robot named Atlas
that can walk upright across uneven terrain, among others.
No comments: