Boston Dynamics’ ambitions in the field of robotics have been the stuff that Internet virality is made of. The engineering and robotics company has already produced incredibly skillful machines that will haunt your nightmares if you’re one of those who’s convinced humanity is doomed and that the rise of the robots is at hand. The company’s robots have, for example, already shown an ability to navigate obstacles Parkour-style, easily manipulate boxes in a warehouse, deftly handle stairs and other barriers, along with much more.
And now, it seems, the company’s designs are about to move from controlled test environments to the real world. The company’s four-legged, dog-like robot Spot — its first commercial robot — is going on sale soon.
That’s according to a new piece from The Verge, which was told by Boston Dynamics’ CEO Marc Raibert that although there’s no firm launch date yet, Spot should start to be available for purchase “within months” and before the end of the year. “We’re just doing some final tweaks to the design,” the CEO told the news site. “We’ve been testing them relentlessly.”
Oil hits $100 per barrel after US hit Iranian tankers near Strait of Hormuz
EXCLUSIVE — Newsom’s hard truth for Democrats: ‘It’s our performance’
Trump hails ‘really big night’ for populists in German election after historic victory
Supreme Court chief justice praises outgoing Smithsonian leader who was under pressure from Trump admin
Who were the key figures in the Bush administration on 9/11, and where are they now
George Bush welcomes top officials to his home state for 9/11 remembrance on 25th anniversary of attacks
Socialist politicians are ‘more racist than the KKK,’ says Black Dem official urging voters to ditch El-Sayed
Appeals court upholds order blocking IRS from sharing taxpayer data with ICE
Senator’s daughter wins Democratic nod in closely watched race to replace outgoing Dem incumbent
Data shows Amazon jet’s key braking systems did not deploy during deadly Miami crash: NTSB
Ex-Dem lobbyist for company that promoted addictive opioid clears key gubernatorial hurdle
Wife of top ex-Biden advisor easily advances to House showdown in November
Cold case takes grim turn after remains identified as runaway teen; homicide investigation underway
Establishment Dem defeats socialist challenger in crucial battleground Senate primary
Incumbent GOP governor rolls to primary victory after keeping Trump at a distance
This follows a series of public appearances for the company and the robot, which was shown off in recent days at Amazon’s Re:MARS conference in Las Vegas. A pair of Boston Dynamics employees were seen shepherding Spot through the crowd on the first night of the event.
Raibert went on to say the company is aiming to start churning out 1,000 robots a year. What will be interesting to watch is whether Boston Dynamics can turn this into a commercially viable enterprise. The company is not alone in this field, with a number of rivals to contend with, and it remains to be seen whether and why companies will buy robots like Spot enough to represent significant revenue for the manufacturer.
In the meantime, check out some of our earlier coverage diving into the myriad uses and robot skills Boston Dynamics has already experimented with — and succeeded in terrifying the Internet over.
Story cited here.
