You can buy Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot for only $74,500
The dog can herd sheep, open doors, fight intruders and potentially pull lorries
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A robot dog from Boston Dynamics is now officially available to purchase.
Spot, as the machine has been dubbed, will cost $74,500 (approximately £60,000).
The canine droid is only available to customers in the United States at the moment, after they make a $1,000 deposit.
It is capable of climbing stairs and crossing rough terrain, with the company sending the mechanical pooch into dangerous environments to carry payloads from place to place or collect data from the site.
Users can control spot through its controller, which “easy access” to the robot’s body posing, walking gaits, obstacle avoidance, and local navigation. Spot can also be set to follow predefined routes.
The robot is ready for “developers eager to explore how flexible mobile robots can be adapted for tasks ranging from industrial inspection to entertainment,“ the company’s website says.
However, Boston Dynamics says that the metal hound is only designed for use in industry or commercial applications, and is not certified for use in the home.
While you might want the robot dog to open doors for you or even fight off intruders, the company recommends it is used for more industrial tasks.
Spot has taken a number of roles since it was first introduced in 2016.
During the coronavirus pandemic, it has been used in Singapore to patrol parks and encourage local people to continue social distancing.
In New Zealand it has become a sheepdog, able to be controlled remotely and round up the animals across a mountainside.
A pack of its metal puppies, the SpotMini, are also capable of pulling a full-sized lorry.
However, there are concerns that the dog could be used for more questionable activities. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) voiced concerns about the Massachusetts State Police use of the robot.
The lease agreement between Boston Dynamics and the police reportedly includes the condition that it is not used to “physically harm or intimidate people”, but the ACLU still says there needs to be greater transparency about how the government is testing new technologies.
Spot is not the only robot that Boston Dynamics has made. Its humanoid machine, called Atlas, has been seen doing backflips and some parkour.
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