The world-famous robot dog Spot visited Hartbeespoort last week and had learners at The Mountain Cambridge School enthralled by its antics.
Spot was brought to visit the school by Dwyka Mining Services, a company that assists mines to adopt and adapt technological change. According to Shaun Davies, technical specialist at Dwyka, Spot is used as a first responder underground in mines.
“He would be sent into any situation where there may be uncertainty about sending in a human. He is, for instance, able to detect gasses, assess a situation, carry a first aid kit to incidents, and even remove rubble,” Davies said.
Spot was designed by Boston Dynamics in 2016 and has become one of the most renowned examples of autonomous robotics, used in industries ranging from oil and gas to security, search and rescue and even construction.
For those who are worried about a robot takeover, Spot still needs humans to solve problems. “It is human first and machine follows,” said Davies.
Dwyka acquired Spot two years ago and has been utilising him in mines mostly in the Bojanala district. “We now have two of them working in the mines.”
Spot can be taught and used for different applications. “It is also used for asset management and tracking, safety and many more. Spot is, for instance, ideal for repetitive tasks. It has been shown that repetitive tasks performed by humans are prone to error. Spot won’t get tired of them!”
Spot’s major components include the body, which houses computers and cameras, and the four legs. Spot can be operated manually by remote control, or automatically using its perception and guidance systems to follow predefined routes. It can be equipped with a variety of sensors and other payloads to tailor Spot for specific applications such as thermal sensing, site inspections, and more.
Since its release, Spot has been used in all kinds of industries. He has been deployed worldwide on farms, oil rigs, at pharmaceutical companies, electrical and gas companies, security industries and many more. It was even tested in an American police department but then stopped because of public backlash.
And yes, he can even talk if taught. If you are thinking of getting your own Spot, make sure you have about R2 million to spare!