WATCH: New robodog fetches soda cans and slips on banana peels
Every now and then, Boston Dynamics releases a new video on its YouTube channel to feature its latest robotic accomplishments. This time around, the spotlight falls on the all-new SpotMini.
Ars Technica reports that SpotMini is one of the quietest robots that Boston Dynamics has ever built. Previous robot designs used gas engines and hydraulics which produced so much noise that even the military deemed them too loud.
On the other hand, the SpotMini, successor to the Spot robot, is designed to be small and quiet enough to be let inside a house. It can also be equipped with a mechanical arm to handle most small household items including drinking glasses.
SpotMini runs for 90 minutes on a single charge and can handle a few tasks autonomously. However, it will require a human for high-level guidance most of the time.
Apart from the “skeletal” unit that is seen all throughout the video, a plastic-clad version is also shown. A commercial version perhaps? That is, if Boston Dynamics ever comes around to actually selling robots. Alfred Bayle
