Alphabet’s Boston Dynamics has announced SpotMini, a smaller version of its Spot pet robot. We see SpotMini loading a dishwasher, suggesting that it might be capable of being useful. The robot also seems to have the ability to get back up on its feet after slipping on a banana peel and falling flat on the floor. SpotMini is a 65-pound all-electric robotic dog that can help out around the house using an extending arm, built-in sensors and special depth cameras. Looking at the robot you will notice that it is an amalgam of a human toddler and oversized puppy that can act as robot maid or butler that you are yearning for. The robot is sometimes equipped with a mechanical arm, which looks like a freakishly-long neck, and a mechanical hand, which suspiciously looks like a head.
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Viewers over YouTube have found a video of a spot robot which runs, dances and even performs various act almost like other animals, most interesting.
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To put icing on the cake (quit showing off SpotMini!), the robot then walks effortlessly up a flight of stairs. This robot is all electric but no hydraulic. It also includes several sensors such as depth cameras, solid state gyro (IMU) and the proprioception sensors which all together help in flawless navigation and mobile manipulation. The SpotMini also has a system for navigation, guidance, and perception sensors, according Engadget. Google bought the Boston Dynamics company in 2013. According to Boston Dynamics, the robot can go for 90 minutes on one charge, depending on what it’s doing. It is now owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, but reportedly up for sale. Spot Mini is one of the quietest robots made by this company, however judging from the presentation video it still looks a bit noisy. So, might be this smaller sized robot is an attempt to capture mass market share.
