Spot, SpotMini, four-legged robots, Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

Spot is a four-legged robot designed for indoor and outdoor operation. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. Spot has a sensor head that helps it navigate and negotiate rough terrain. Spot weighs about 160 lbs.

Click to expand...

Spot is an electrically powered, hydraulically actuated quadruped prototype robot designed by Boston Dynamics. Field testing of Spot began September 15, 2015 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Researchers walked Spot through different terrains to see how the robot coped with the obstacles.

Click to expand...

The robot's lifelike movement catches the attention of a real dog. The uncanny uncanine valley. This is the latest quadruped robot from Google's Boston Dynamics group, and the only one outside of the military.

Click to expand...

A demonstration of the new dog on the block, the Spot robot by Boston Dynamics. The military has all of the other ones.

Click to expand...

SpotMini is a new smaller version of the Spot robot that weighs 55 lbs dripping wet (65 lbs if you include its arm.) SpotMini is all-electric (no hydraulics) and runs for about 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing. SpotMini is one of the quietest robots we have ever built. It has a variety of sensors, including depth cameras, a solid state gyro (IMU) and proprioception sensors in the limbs. SpotMini performs some tasks autonomously, but often uses a human for high-level guidance.

Click to expand...

Boston Dynamics showed off one of his latest robotic creations, called Spot Mini - a four-legged 27kg robot with a mechanical arm mounted on its back.
Sensors in its head allows it to navigate and negotiate rough terrain. So can run, hop, and pace, mimicking traditional animal gaits with similar mannerisms to that of a dog.

Click to expand...

Impressive and fun demo by Marc Raibert of Boston Dynamics' Spot Mini quadruped robot at NIPS Conference 2016

Click to expand...

That science fiction future where robots can do what people and animals do may be closer than you think. Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, is developing advanced robots that can gallop like a cheetah, negotiate 10 inches of snow, walk upright on two legs and even open doors and deliver packages. Join Raibert for a live demo of SpotMini, a nimble robot that maps the space around it, handles objects, climbs stairs -- and could soon be helping you out around the house.

Click to expand...

Robots are coming for us all! Kim & Alan break it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

"You could argue that the door handle has had a disproportionate influence on modern robotics. It was the humanoids of the Darpa Robotics Challenge, after all, that were tasked with opening doors, and it was those machines that helped drive robots to where they are now.

Today Boston Dynamics posted a video of its SpotMini quadruped robot extending an arm out of its head to turn a handle. With the dexterity of a tray-carrying butler, it uses its foot to prop the door ajar, then elbows it all the way open for its (armless) SpotMini friend to walk through. At face value, it's a pretty incredible feat. But it's also an interesting twist in the quest to make robots that get along with a world built by and for humans. Maybe the Darpa Robotics Challenge had it wrong with humanoids after all, and the best robots for rescue operations will look nothing like humans—or any other animal, for that matter."

Click to expand...

A test of SpotMini's ability to adjust to disturbances as it opens and walks through a door. A person (not shown) drives the robot up to the door, points the hand at the door handle, then gives the 'GO' command, both at the beginning of the video and again at 42 seconds. The robot proceeds autonomously from these points on. A camera in the hand finds the door handle, cameras on the body determine if the door is open or closed and help navigate through the doorway. Controllers provide locomotion, balance and adjust behavior when progress gets off track. The ability to tolerate and respond to disturbances like these improves successful operation of the robot. (Note: This testing does not irritate or harm the robot.)

Click to expand...

SpotMini attended MIT AGI class and stuck around afterwards for some pictures... Here's the full lecture: https://youtu.be/LiNSPRKHyvo Course website: https://agi.mit.edu

Click to expand...

SpotMini autonomously navigates a specified route through an office and lab facility. Before the test, the robot is manually driven through the space so it can build a map of the space using visual data from cameras mounted on the front, back and sides of the robot. During the autonomous run, SpotMini uses data from the cameras to localize itself in the map and to detect and avoid obstacles. Once the operator presses 'GO' at the beginning of the video, the robot is on its own. Total walk time for this route is just over 6 minutes. (The QR codes visible in the video are used to measure performance, not for navigation.)

Click to expand...

Boston Dynamics’ rocked the world with the DARPA-funded Big Dog, and founder Marc Raibert showed off its latest creation, the SpotMini at TC Sessions Robotics 2018 at UC Berkeley.

Click to expand...

After 26 years, Boston Dynamics is finally getting ready to start selling some robots. Founder Marc Raibert says that the company’s dog-like SpotMini robot is in pre-production and preparing for commercial availability in 2019. The announcement came onstage at TechCrunch’s TC Sessions: Robotics event today at UC Berkeley.

Click to expand...

We have begun field testing the Spot robot for commercial usage around the world. After an initial mapping run, Spot autonomously navigated two dynamic construction sites in Tokyo and used a specialized payload for surveying work progress. An additional camera in its hand lets Spot do even more detailed inspection work on site. The Spot robot will be available in the second half of 2019 for a variety of applications.

Click to expand...

It only takes 10 Spotpower (SP) to haul a truck across the Boston Dynamics parking lot (~1 degree uphill, truck in neutral). These Spot robots are coming off the production line now and will be available for a range of applications soon.

Click to expand...

Boston Dynamics revealed new video of its Spot robots working together to pull a truck across a parking lot. It says the four-legged robots should be available soon. We also take a look at how modular robots might help build a Martian habitat for astronauts, and the first 3D printed heart made with living human cells.

Click to expand...

Boston Dynamics' Marc Raibert shows off a close-to-production Spot Mini.

Click to expand...