If it walks, acts, and looks like a dog, it’s a dog…right? Wrong! Robotics company Boston Dynamics created just about the coolest, creepiest robot in existence. Weighing in at 160 lb., this 4-legged robot named Spot is meant to mimic the actions of a real-life dog. Besides the outside aesthetic, the resemblance to a canine is uncanny. This company is owned by Google, so only amazing things are to be expected- and this does not fall short of expectations. Spot can be kicked and he doesn’t immediately lose balance like you think an ordinary robot would. The most spectacular thing about this robot is its ability to trek up and down a variety of environments including hills and wooded areas.
Spot has a twin brother called Spot Number Two, so the original Spot is referred to as Spot Number One. In the video, they are seen colliding in to one another. However, they recover astonishingly quick which may be the reason behind their collective behavior. It looks as if they act and react with one another.
“But the collision does result in them tending to align with one another (since each pushes against the other),” Iain Couzin, Princeton biologist and expert in the study of collective animal behavior, stated. “That can be an important factor: Simple collisions among individuals can result in collective motion.”
However, Spot was not created to work in harmony with his brother’s behavior. Their coordination emerges naturally from the physical rules that govern each individual robot. That concept alone is something to think about, if combined with autonomy. These robots look cute and whatnot, but keep in mind that they were created for serious use. Let’s just hope these robotic pups don’t take over the world any time soon because so many living hounds need to find a loving home!
Watch Spot in action!
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