At today’s Xponential 2021 Keynote address in Atlanta, one speaker didn’t have to worry about COVID. Spot®, the mobility robot from Boston Dynamics, had a place on the stage – accompanied by Boston Dynamics channel sales manager Tim Dykstra.
Spot has mobility like no robot you’ve seen before, and Dykstra explains that the company made a transition from wheeled or tracked robots to legged models for that reason. “The world is a complex place,” Dystra said, “and largely developed for humans.” Legged robots can better navigate that world – and Spot is proving it’s value far beyond video stardom. “Spot has done an incredibly diverse set of applications since its release,” says Dykstra. “Spot has done a lot of real work.”
At the keynote address, Spot walked down the central aisle of the exhibit hall, walked up the steps of the stage, and took a bow – and from the ease and flexibility that the Spot robot demonstrated, it’s clear that Boston Dynamic’s concept of a mobility robot is revolutionary.
Those stairs demonstrate exactly what’s different about Spot, a legged robot, over traditional tracked or wheeled robots. How does Spot do it? “It’s all about it’s perception,” says Dykstra, explaining that the robot is equipped with stereo cameras on all sides which sense the environment and move appropriately – to move up steps, for example, the operator simply presses the forward button, but as the robot approaches the stairs it knows how to navigate them.
There are a huge diversity of use cases for Spot: and it has an open API for a wide variety of payloads. Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot can be used for bomb identification, nuclear inspection, delivery, and autonomous rounds and readings on oil rigs. Spot is saving companies huge amounts in downtime, and saving lives by entering places that are unsafe for human resources.
And, Spot can dance.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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