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Robodog 'Spot' designed to sniff out BOMBS goes into 'sit' mode


Robodog ‘Spot’ designed to sniff out BOMBS goes into ‘sit’ mode and refuses to move during trial by Massachusetts police

  • Massachusetts police bomb squad were testing the robodog for three months
  • It was given to them as a ‘free of charge’ pre-release trial in return for feedback 
  • In August 2019 the ‘dog’ was sent to check on a suspect ‘old brown briefcase’
  • The force couldn’t get it to go out of ‘sit mode’ and move towards the threat
  • They eventually got it to move but it took several reboots only to find the video quality wasn’t good enough and they had to send a human technician 

A robot dog named ‘Spot’ designed to sniff out bombs went into ‘sit mode’ and refused to move during a live trial by Massachusetts police.

Spot was created by Boston Dynamics and was on loan to the bomb squad in 2019 when the failed test happened, according to a report by OneZero.

The bomb squad were called to a Walmart in Westboro, Massachusetts after employees spotted a suspicious ‘old brown briefcase’ on a bin in the car park.

Officers decided to have Spot examine the briefcase but when they turned him on he went into ‘sit mode’ and wouldn’t move – even after multiple reboots. 

Massachusetts Police were eventually able to get Spot to walk over to the briefcase but the video quality he recorded ‘wasn’t very good’ and had to sent a human technician to remove the briefcase – it didn’t have a bomb inside.

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While testing Spot the robot dog Massachusetts Police bomb squad found it kept going into 'sit mode' when they tried to send it to investigate a bomb threat

While testing Spot the robot dog Massachusetts Police bomb squad found it kept going into ‘sit mode’ when they tried to send it to investigate a bomb threat 

Fortunately this wasn’t the only test for the robotic canine during its 90 day trial with the Massachusetts Police – overall they found it was a benefit to the force. 

They determined that despite initially refusing to move it achieved its goal of surveying the area for additional threats and confirming observations.

‘The initial hiccups aside and with obvious room for improvement, we accomplished the above stated goal and assisted the tech in clearing a suspect item. A GOOD first mission!!,’ the police wrote in their report seen by OneZero.

There were other issues during the three month trial including the robot dog ‘nosediving’ into tall grass for ‘no apparent reason’.

They also found it experienced ‘front legs panic’ while climbing steps that saw him topple over and in just pace in place on an incline at times.

These issues were described as minor by the force, who said they were ‘very excited’ to work with Spot in the future, according to OneZero. 

‘I’m a huge fan and look at each time I get to use Spot as a spoiled kid would when he makes out his Xmas list,’ said Massachusetts state trooper Steve Sicard. 

A spokesman for Spot developers Boston Dynamics said they were constantly improving the platform through software releases and incorporating fixes flagged during testing – such as the live trial with Massachusetts police.

'Spot' the Boston Dynamics robot dog has been in use by Massachusetts State Police bomb squad but did encounter a few hurdles during testing

‘Spot’ the Boston Dynamics robot dog has been in use by Massachusetts State Police bomb squad but did encounter a few hurdles during testing

They told OneZero the force bomb squad provided ‘early testing at no cost in exchange for early feedback’ before it was commercially available. 

Spot officially went on sale last year and according to Boston Dynamics, it’s currently used by ‘the majority’ of the top 100 general contractors in the US, autonomously roaming construction sites and recording images to track building progress. 

In February the Norwegian oil company Aker BP ASA announced it would bring Spot aboard ships in the Skarv region of the Norwegian Sea. 

Spot, the quadruped robot has been developed by Boston Dynamics. Cognite and Aker BP have tested Spot's mobility in simulated oil and gas environments to ensure that it can access locations in these facilities too difficult to access through traditional automation

Spot, the quadruped robot has been developed by Boston Dynamics. Cognite and Aker BP have tested Spot’s mobility in simulated oil and gas environments to ensure that it can access locations in these facilities too difficult to access through traditional automation

According to Aker, Spot is charged with sniffing out hydrocarbon leaks, inspecting ship equipment, taking mechanical readings, generating reports, and completing inspections in areas that might be too dangerous for human workers. 

‘We’re going to work together with our customers to figure out what robots are good for,’ Marc Raibert, Boston Dynamics CEO, told Wired.

‘It’s not like they can do every possible thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re not really good at some things.’

Researchers say leasing the robot will cost ‘about the same as a car’.

How nice of a car depends on how many robots and how long the lease period is,’ added Michael Perry, the company’s vice president of business development.

WHAT IS BOSTON DYNAMICS’ SPOT MINI ROBO-DOG?

Boston Dynamics first showed off SpotMini, the most advanced robot dog ever created, in a video posted in November 2017.

The firm, best known for Atlas, its 5 foot 9 (1.7 metre) humanoid robot, has revealed a new ‘lightweight’ version of its robot Spot Mini.

The robotic canine was shown trotting around a yard, with the promise that more information from the notoriously secretive firm is ‘coming soon’.

‘SpotMini is a small four-legged robot that comfortably fits in an office or home’ the firm says on its website.

It weighs 25 kg (55 lb), or 30 kg (66 lb) when you include the robotic arm.

SpotMini is all-electric and can go for about 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing, the firm says, boasting ‘SpotMini is the quietest robot we have built.’ 

SpotMini was first unveiled in 2016, and a previous version of the mini version of spot with a strange extendable neck has been shown off helping around the house. 

In the firm’s previous video, the robot is shown walking out of the firm’s HQ and into what appears to be a home.

There, it helps load a dishwasher and carries a can to the trash.

It also at one point encounters a dropped banana skin and falls dramatically – but uses its extendable neck to push itself back up. 

‘SpotMini is one of the quietest robots we have ever built, the firm says, due to its electric motors.

‘It has a variety of sensors, including depth cameras, a solid state gyro (IMU) and proprioception sensors in the limbs. 

‘These sensors help with navigation and mobile manipulation. 

‘SpotMini performs some tasks autonomously, but often uses a human for high-level guidance.’ 





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