Boston Dynamics launches commercial sale of dog-like robot

For just under US$75,000, mobile robotics firm Boston Dynamics says anyone can now purchase Spot, one of company’s uncannily agile robots. Previously, the company’s Spot robot, which can climbs stairs, open doors and traverse rough terrain, was exclusively available for short-term lease under Boston Dynamics’ Early Adopter Program.

Under that program, over 150 Spot robots were used by domestic and international businesses and research facilities in a variety of environments, including power generation facilities, decommissioned nuclear sites, factory floors, construction sites and research laboratories, the company says.

For example, Quebec-based construction firm Pomerleau employed the Spot robot to capture nearly 5,000 images of a 500,000 square foot building project, saving approximately 20 hours of work per week, the company says. Conversely, a team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab paired a Spot robot with its own autonomy, perception and communication tools to win the Urban Circuit, DARPA’s most recent Subterranean Challenge Competition.

“At Boston Dynamics, we have spent decades creating and refining robots with advanced mobility, dexterity and intelligence because we believe agile robots can solve a broad range of real world problems,” said Marc Raibert, chairman and founder of Boston Dynamics. “The combination of Spot’s sophisticated software and high performance mechanical design enables the robot to augment difficult or dangerous human work. Now you can use Spot to increase human safety in environments and tasks where traditional automation hasn’t been successful.”

Currently, Spot is only available for purchase in the United States, but the company says it will continue to lease Spot robots to customers in some international markets through its Early Adopter Program.
www.bostondynamics.com