SpotMini: Boston Dynamics finally ready to sell ultra-advanced robot dog

Robot can open doors and pull full-sized lorry when put in a pack

A highly-advanced robo-dog known as SpotMini is set to go on sale later this year.

Around 100 of the highly advances canine-inspired machine will be sold, according to robotics firm Boston Dynamics, although it did not say how much they would cost or give a release date.

The creatures have attracted huge interest since videos of them began appearing on the internet.

Last year, footage of a SpotMini opening a door gained more than 10 million views on Boston Dynamics' official YouTube channel.

Other videos of the robot showed its ability to autonomously navigate up and down stairs, as well as through complex indoor environments.

The live demonstration did not go completely to plan, however, with one of the robots malfunctioning and falling over while on stage.

"We're just doing some final tweaks to the design. We've been testing them relentlessly," Boston Dynamics chief executive Marc Raibert told tech website, The Verge. "We're manufacturing them at a reasonably high rate for an early product. We're aiming for 1,000 a year."

The versatility of the machines mean they could be used in a variety of environments, Mr Raibert said, ranging from construction sites to remote security guards.

"There's a remarkable number of construction companies we're talking to," he said. "But we have some other applications that are very promising, [such as] in hostile environments where the cost of having people there is high."