Science & Technology

New dog robot has amazing sense of balance

By T.K. Randall
February 11, 2015

Image: Spot by Boston Dynamics
Credit: Jonte / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) The engineering and robotics design company has become well known for its impressive robot creations in recent years and its latest invention, a robotic dog called Spot, is no exception.

Spot is a four-legged all-terrain platform capable of traversing rocks, ice, grass, stairs and just about any other type of hazardous surface without stumbling or falling down. Weighing 160 pounds, the robot can carry substantial loads while still maintaining a speed sufficient enough to keep up with its human operators.In a new video released this week the new robot can be seen being put through its paces on grass slopes, icy roads and up a flight of concrete steps. Its impressive balancing capabilities are demonstrated more than once when employees kick the robot to show that it doesn't fall over.

Like other Boston Dynamics robots before it, Spot is designed to work both indoors and outdoors and could prove extremely useful by carrying loads in situations where adverse weather conditions, strong winds and unstable footing would make conventional vehicles impractical.


Source: Beta Boston

Tags: Robot, Boston Dynamics