The spot robot can now be sold to any company
Who is Spot? "A nimble robot that climbs stairs and traverses rough terrain with unprecedented ease, yet is small enough to use indoors. Built to be a rugged and customizable platform, Spot has an industry track record in remote operation and autonomous sensing.", says Boston Dynamics.
Three years after making its debut in a terror-inducing video, Boston Dynamics' Spot robot is available for purchase. Last year, the company started renting these robots, but now any US company can buy its own Spot. The price for the four-legged robot is not cheap: $ 75,500, equivalent to a luxury Tesla Model S. Indeed, Spot is an extremely skilled robot, but its capabilities are quite limited at the moment. It is a robot that handles objects, climbs stairs, and operates in offices, homes, and outdoors.
"For the most part, we sell the robot to commercial and industrial customers who have a sensor they want to use in an area a person can't reach, "said Zack Jackowski, chief engineer at Boston Dynamics, in a dialogue worn last week with The Verge. According to Boston Dynamics, Spot will receive further updates as they receive feedback from customers, but the robot is considered ready for sale.
One of the most important functions that the Boston Dynamics team is still working on is Spot's remote operation. It can also be used for customers who are interested in buying the robot, but cannot see it in the current context. Thus, they will be able to operate it from their own home, to examine his abilities.
Although Spot is certainly nimble, its workload is mostly limited right now to surveying and data collection. Boston Dynamics' pitch is that Spot is a multipurpose "mobility platform" that can be customized with different sensors and programmed to perform patrols and inspections. The company says it will continue upgrading Spot as it gets feedback from customers but that the robot is finally ready for general sale.
Speaking about those who could use the robot as a weapon, Mike Perry, the company's vice president, says it has an integrated code of use: "If used in a negative way, the license will be suspended and the customer will no longer be able to use the robot". The spot comes in a limited amount: only 150 robots have been hired in the last year, and the company has announced that it will miss the proposed target for this year, to produce 1,000 units.
SpotMini can go where larger robots can't. Its optional snake-like arm, which attaches where a real dog's head would be, lets SpotMini do things like open doors.
Customers will be limited to two units per purchase. "If you want to buy more than two robots, our team will have a discussion with you. We want to understand what you want to do with them, "Perry said.