A true symbol of the future, the Spot robot nevertheless saw the world as in a film from the 1950s, in black and white.
With every new video or information regarding Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dog, the world is amazed. This time once more, the teams working on the development of this robot like no other have surprised by their ability to make it go even further.
If his antics and other small gymnastics had already shaken the canvas in the past, Boston Dynamics gave new information on his robot. The latter would now be equipped with 5Ge, an important step for Boston Dynamics teams with a marketing objective.
Seeing life in color is the secret of happiness
But the great novelty concerning Spot, two years following its launch, is the arrival of color. If the robot is recognizable among a thousand with its characteristic yellow, he was not able to see it. But according to Boston Dynamics, that problem has been fixed, and people who own a Spot can now see the world in color.
With 5 3D cameras that provide a 360 degree view, Spot is able to understand its environment, and now to distinguish color shades. According to the first hypotheses, Boston Dynamics having given very few details, this new perception of colors should make it possible to have images with more precision in the depth of field, but also a clearer overall rendering.
Autonomy and an updated tablet
The set should allow Spot to have a better autonomy, which is currently limited to 90 minutes in intensive use. Boston Dynamics has also updated its tablet that allows you to take manual control of the robot. The latter is now built on a Samsung tablet with an 8-inch touchscreen.
The teams behind the robot explain that it is also possible (optional) to add joysticks and physical buttons to its control lever, to have more precision in the gestures. As a reminder, a robot like Spot from Boston Dynamics is now available for sale to professionals. The latter costs the small sum of 75,000 dollars (71,000 euros).
Used mainly for surveillance missions, the robot is able to move around in a rough environment or climb stairs. Eventually, robots like Spot might go to areas that are dangerous to humans, such as nuclear power plants, fire sites or natural disasters to carry out surveillance or search for missing persons, all without risking losing new human lives.