Boston Dynamics, subsidiary of Google Inc. Spot can easily take the role of these working dogs in combat drills and provide vital information to operators and reduce threats.
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DARPA and Boston Dynamics’ robotic dog Spot, which we talked about back in February, is now being tested by the Marine Corps for possible use in warfare situations.
Designed for indoor and outdoor operation, Spot’s versatility makes it a flexible military asset.
“We want to continue to experiment with quadruped technology and find ways that this can be employed to enhance the Marine Corps warfighting capabilties”, said Capt. James Pineiro, the branch head for Marine Corps Warfighting Lab., in a press release.
The USA military is interested in the use of robots in combat because they can more confidently be sent into unsafe situations without the worry of loss of life. Giving a small glimpse into the future of robotic warfare.
Yes, a bit like a robotic K9 unit, which might have something to do with the fact that they have named the machine “Spot”. “The Marines have been very receptive to the new technology, embrace it and come up with new ideas we couldn’t even dream up”.
In a week-long evaluation, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and DARPA put the 160-pound, electrically powered quadruped through its paces across different terrains such as hills, woods and urban terrain.
“Spot is great and has exceeded the metrics that we’ve provided”. It can be safely controlled through a wireless game-controller hooked up to a laptop. In previous coverage on SiliconANGLE, handlers of the robot displayed its excellent balance by kicking it.
The dog’s missions included scenarios in forests, open fields and urban environs. DARPA has already tested a number of robots made by Boston Dynamics in the past, including a quadruped robot called the BigDog. However, the four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics is quieter as well as lighter in comparison to any other robots tested by the Marines.
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Also no details on if or when such robots will become part of modern infantry, but it seems a likely thing.
