It is possible that in recent weeks they saw circulate on social networks a video of a person walking through the streets of León (Spain) with a rather peculiar yellow dog. It was about Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot dog who has starred in so many viral videos on YouTube along with other creatures from the same company.
And what was Spot doing in the city of León? Easy: a Spanish company, Plain Concepts, has started to sell this product in the national territory to those companies that want it. And, for some reason, they decided to take him out for a walk that day, causing a rather curious phenomenon on social media.
Days later, I had the opportunity to go to the offices of this same company in Madrid . And there I was able to meet in person the aforementioned character in the story, which, at the moment, is considered one of the most interesting technological products in the world.
Spot makes its way into Spain
The Boston Dynamics robot dog makes its way in Spain with the intention of assisting industrial companies in certain routine tasks. That is to say: this robot is not designed to be taken home as if it were a pet it was. You could, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense. And is that the product costs more than 60,000 euros, more than a standard car and many homes.
A remote control similar to a Nintendo Switch is used to control Spot. Also you can connect VR glasses that allow you to control it in a more immersive way. The idea, however, is that Spot is capable of doing many tasks autonomously, without the intervention of a person.
One of the main virtues of the Boston Dynamics dog is its stability . Even in complex terrain, it is capable of staying in line and even adapting to what it encounters. And in case of falling, it could even get up, as explained to us from Plain Concepts.
However, Spot is prepared for companies to develop advanced solutions on it. That is to say: the robot, just out of the box, has a certain set of options . It can walk, it remains stable even in adverse situations, etc. But, to implement it in an industry, it is necessary to adapt its set of capabilities to what the client in question needs. And that is where the aforementioned Spanish company comes into play.
For example: if a power company needs Spot to be able to operate remotely, they implement a 5G module in the robot, the sensors it needs, and thus, an operator can control the Boston Dynamics dog without going to the place where it is. it's found. Similarly, if they need the robot to perform tasks autonomously, they are responsible for implementing the necessary components or software required to complete the task. We could say that Spot is the computer; and Plain Concepts is in charge of developing the applications and incorporating the peripherals.
In person, the robot dog from Boston Dynamics is surprising , especially considering that this is one of the first steps towards a future in which this type of product will accompany us in multiple scenarios.
Some people, yes, are affected by the well-known “haunting valley.” It is a theory that states that, when a robot is very close to equating the human or animal form in which it is inspired, it begins to produce rejection . The opposite can also happen: that it raises empathy, as if it were an animal. Personally, neither of the two things happened to me with Spot. What I have felt when I have it in front of me is a fascination with how technology is able to go so far.
