The robot dog Spot was launched in 2015 by engineering company Boston Dynamics, but only since June this year, it has become available for regular consumers. It is widely accepted to be the most advanced robot dog currently available. For a price of $74.500, you can own your a four-legged robot dog, able to climb terrain, see 360-degrees around, and walk up to three miles per hour (Stieg, 2020).
The most common tasks for these small, cheap, maneuverable robots have to do with their cameras. The US military is testing whether these robots are a suitable tool to scout locations that are potentially contested (Lendon, 2020). In the construction industry are using them as inspectors for buildings, both deteriorating as well as building still in progress (Stieg, 2020). Without these robots, humans would have to enter these dangerous locations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put robot dogs in the picture of general use. Being a disruptive technology that started to get traction, now it has exploded. Many new use-cases were found, ultimately boosting the sale of Spot, and competitors.
- In the US, some general practitioners are visiting patients via a video call, using a mounted iPad on Spot (Haridy, 2020).
- In Singapore, robot dogs are used to ensure the individuals keep social distancing when outdoors (Tan, 2020).
- Women’s hospital in Boston is using robot dogs for testing patients’ symptoms, to find out whether they can safely be in the same room as a doctor (Cooper, 2020).
Due to COVID-19, and the innovativeness of certain industries, the robot dog is getting normalized. Prior, only specialized construction workers and certain branches of the military had seen them, while now the general public is also in direct contact. I expect these robots to see another surge in use-cases when it becomes common knowledge that they exist. With this surge in orders and uses, expect to see Spot near you soon!
Cooper, G., 2020. See Boston Dynamics Robot Dog Spot Protect Medical Workers From Coronavirus. [online] CNET. Available at: [Accessed 4 October 2020].
Haridy, R., 2020. Boston Dynamics Sends Spot Robot To Help Doctors Treat COVID-19 Patients. [online] New Atlas. Available at: [Accessed 4 October 2020].
Lendon, B., 2020. Robot Dogs Join High-Tech US Air Force Exercise. [online] CNN. Available at: [Accessed 4 October 2020].
Stieg, C., 2020. This $75,000 Boston Dynamics Robot ‘Dog’ Is For Sale—Take A Look. [online] CNBC. Available at: [Accessed 4 October 2020].
Tan, C., 2020. Robot Reminds Visitors Of Safe Distancing Measures In Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. [online] The Straits Times. Available at: [Accessed 4 October 2020].
