Soon, this 'robot-dog' from Boston Dynamics will go on sale
What's the story
Boston Dynamics' robots can do some insane stuff, including things like backflips, parkour, even warehouse jobs.
And now, the SoftBank-owned company is gearing up to bring one of its mind-boggling machines, a quadrupedal robot named Spot, out into the real world.
It looks like a creepy robot-dog but can actually come handy in certain conditions.
Here's all about Spot and the company's commercialization plans.
Plans
Spot going on sale later this year
Boston Dynamics has developed a range of robots, but their ultimate goal has always been to commercialize most of them and complement human capabilities in real life scenarios.
The mission is highly ambitious, but The Verge reports that the company is finally inching closer to making it a reality; it will put warehouse robot Spot on sale by the end of this year.
Preparation
Currently, Spot is being prepped for sale
Boston Dynamics' CEO Marc Raibert told The Verge that the bot is currently going through an extensive series of tests.
He didn't provide specific details but confirmed that the capabilities of the robot-dog are being tested in several proof-of-concept environments.
Specifically, they have been checking its ability to deliver packages and surveil environments like warehouses among many other things.
Quote
Here's what Raibert said about their plans
"We're just doing some final tweaks to the design," Raibert told the outlet, noting that they have "been testing them relentlessly" and will definitely get them up on sale before the year ends.
Details
Spot comes with 3D vision
Spot stands nearly 3-feet tall and features 17 electrically actuated joints and 3D vision to perceive its surroundings while navigating.
It weighs around 30Kg and can lift almost half of it while working in a real-world warehouse or at a construction site.
However, it's worth noting that the machine isn't completely autonomous; it's controlled with a modified gaming tablet housing a D-pad.
Production
Now, the company wants to scale production
Currently, Boston Dynamics has a squadron of 50 Spots in its stable.
The company is working with them but is also prepping to boost the production rate to 1,000 robots per year, Raibert emphasized.
Now, when that happens, it will be interesting to see how many businesses would be willing to invest in the bot, especially when smarter human assistance is more affordable.