Boston Dynamics has surprised thanks to the appearance of its robot dog, named Spot. Its operation is based on the integration of its own software with ChatGPT, relying on OpenAI so that Spot can deal with all the questions asked by the user. In this way, the robot will be able to understand the surrounding environment and generate a quick response for all the tasks it has to perform.
Boston Dynamics surprised by showing off its robot dog, Spot
At a company show, Boston Dynamics clarified that improvements were being made to the robot dog they were designing, named Spot. As part of this, a language model was being called upon to create a much more complex dialogue and response. The ChatGPT (OpenAI) language model was selected for this purpose. Several prototypes of the robot dog have already been exhibited in several countries, including Spain. These arrived in early 2023.
In Spain, Boston Dynamics has already begun testing the robot dog. Spot is being tested by different companies in combination with new equipment such as virtual and mixed reality glasses.
What is Spot capable of doing?
Boston Dynamics, to date, has managed to make Spot able to walk around the factory without getting lost, taking a complete tour of the facility while answering questions from people in the same space. The robot dog has been able to vary its accent, being able to speak both American and British style.
As an anecdote, those responsible for the project showed how Spot responded to the question “who were his parents” by mentioning all the previous models of robot dogs that Boston Dynamics had developed. Despite the improvement in this robot, it still gets confused. Spot mistook Stretch (another company robot that is programmed to move boxes) for a yoga machine.
What does Spot look like?
Spot is also improving its appearance. The company has been able to make it move its “mouth”, making the clamp that makes the pout acquire movements. When he opens and closes his mouth, Spot is able to take a look at his surroundings to understand what is going on. The robot dog has several cameras attached to it to help it get more information about what is going on before it responds to something. Its shape is quite curious.
It consists of a rectangular body and four articulated legs, in yellow and black tones. Although it is intended to mimic the structure of a dog, it does not identify with an animal per se, at least at first glance. Its battery can last up to 90 minutes, and it has several automatic charging stations to which it can be connected so as not to run out of battery.
Science will undoubtedly be putting all its curiosity into Spot, one of the first robot guide dogs. Something that will make for many more alternatives to help in factories and large enterprise facilities such as warehouses. It is not yet known what kind of impact this type of tool will have. What we can contemplate is that the future will be full of collaborations between humans and robots.
