Spot, the quadruped robot from Boston Dynamics, has just received improvements. The American company presented on May 3 the new features that its famous mechanical dog will have. It will now be able to see the world in color, be controlled more easily by its user and become more efficient in collecting data.
Spot’s vision is increased
Boston Dynamics’ robot dog has been on sale in the United States for two years now, primarily for commercial and industrial use, recalls Gizmodo. The company located in Waltham, Massachusetts, announced that Spot has just received several improvements to make it more efficient and easier for its owner to use.
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Until very recently, the mechanical animal could only see the world in black and white. A physical particularity which is not a real characteristic of dogs, contrary to popular belief. By seeing in color, Spot will get closer to canines. Thanks to the five cameras placed on his body, he will be able to capture images of his environment in color. The cameras now offer sharper image quality and are able to perform 3D mapping of Spot’s environment with better depth.
The robot owner will enjoy these improvements by looking through Spot’s eyes via a control tablet. This tablet makes it possible to supervise the movements of the machine. The user can also use it to program routines and automated tasks.
Based on a Samsung tablet, the screen expands to 20 centimeters and battery life reaches eight hours. It is also more resistant to drops and water. The user can add buttons and joysticks to facilitate simultaneous control of Spot’s movements and the attachable articulated arm on his back.
A customizable robot
The Boston Dynamics automaton is very useful in industry and in scientific research. He is able to carry a very wide variety of advanced equipment on his back, such as sensors, cameras and scanners. He can perform a wide variety of measurements and data collection with this type of equipment while moving.
The American company has announced the arrival of two new pieces of equipment. First of all, the CORE I/O, a computer that improves data processing capabilities in the field and allows tasks such as site inspection to be performed using computer vision. It also gives access to a 5G connection to share the data collected more efficiently.
The second equipment is called the Rajant Kinetic Mesh Radio Kit. It is a radio device consisting of three radio beacons to be placed in Spot’s environment to create a space with a maximum area of 18.5 square kilometers. The robot then has its own secure communication network, essential in areas where other networks, such as 5G, do not work.
With these additions, Boston Dynamics ensures that Spot can continue to operate in harsh environments and that its user never loses contact and control over it. The French army understood Spot’s strengths in hostile terrain and had carried out military exercises with him in 2021.