The dog and robot met in an unprecedented confrontation. Image Credit: YouTube / jurvetson
The realistic four-legged robot met its match when it came face-to-face with its real-life counterpart.
Boston Dynamics has come up with some impressive creations over the years and 'Spot', a quick-moving dog-like robot designed to traverse difficult terrain with ease, is no exception.
But what would happen if the robotic canine was to ever face off against a real dog ?
This was the scenario captured on camera by Steve Jurvetson recently when a civilian operator who had been testing out the robot in a car park came across a rather excitable terrier.
The footage shows the small dog barking profusely at the metal behemoth which, at many times the size of its furry adversary, appeared to have been mistaken for the real thing.
It's a pity to watch how they are playing with such a unique (and costly) thing, risking it to be bitten by a dog (it still has some sensitive parts on the outside, such as the lidar). May be they are on the brink of shutdown after the DoD refused to renew their contract, and now decided to play with their toys until they break down?
Fake, someone with a controller create the uncanny machine response. S The robot was not in 'autonomous" mode. Nor was it ever suggested that it was. The human controller is clearly seen. The point was not so much 'scientific' as 'play'
I would expect larger dogs to just go away after a few barks unless they feel threatened. Generally smaller dogs are more aggressive than larger ones unless trained to be so, such as Dobermans Rotweilers and German Shepherds. I have a medium-sized rescue dog that is the exception. She'll start barking then go hide behide Mommy or Daddy while still barking, but protecting from the rear. And for those who think it's horrible that the robot is being played with, a boy always has to play with his toys and harass his dog. It's our nature.
I thought it was kind of cute to see this baffled dog trying to interact with this strange creature. The little dog seemed to realize something was a bit "off" with this odd thing but still tried to make sense of it all. It was just a spot of fun and no one got hurt.
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