Beware of the Robot Dog: Spot is Up For Sale
Spot the Robot Dog, a famous mechanical canine developed by Boston Dynamics, can now be yours. If you can spare $74,500 that is.
Businesses or individuals can purchase this dexterous machine by depositing $1000, and expect it to arrive at their doors in the next 6 to 8 weeks.
Over the last year, Boston Dynamics has been leasing the nimble four-legged robot to a few chosen companies and research groups as part of their early adoption program. The Robot dog has since been seen traipsing in potentially hazardous environments for humans such as mines and police work.
In the wake of Covid-19, Spot was used by the hospitals in Boston to limit exposure of the hospital staff to patients. In Singapore, the robot dog was used as a social distancing reminder at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park with a camera on its back to assess the number of visitors in the park.
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Boston Dynamics has reiterated its uncertainty over what Spot could best be used for in the real world. Michael Perry, Vice President of Business Development at Boston Dynamics said, “The main goal of selling the robot at this stage is to try to get it into the hands of as many application developers as possible so that we can learn from the community what the biggest driver of value is for Spot. As a platform, unlocking the value of an ecosystem is our core focus right now.”
With the purchase of a Spot robot, you also get two Spot batteries, a charger, a tablet controller, and a robot case for storage and transportation. Each robot dog comes with a 12 months warranty that includes repairs, replacements, and shipping expenses for defects.