Boston Dynamics' New One-Armed Robot Is Adorable and Terrifying
The robotics company Boston Dynamics recently added a new small robot called SpotMini to their lineup-a four-legged bot with an extremely nimble and extendable arm/neck that can delicately grasp and move objects.
SpotMini follows the ATLAS humanoid robot and the original Spot dog-style robot introduced in 2015. Boston Dynamics continues to develop impressive bots, and their new mini-brontosaurus-looking robot seems like it would be the handiest bot they've built for the average Joe. The video above shows the eager machine easily navigating a crowded room and then tossing out garbage and loading the dishwasher.
The SpotMini is an all-electric robot that weighs about 65 pounds and can run for about 90 minutes on a charge. The bot includes no hydraulics, helping make it the quietest robot that Boston Dynamics has made so far. It uses depth cameras, proprioception sensors in its legs, and a solid-state gyro to help it navigate, balance and move things around. The small bot can carry out a combination of autonomous and human-directed tasks.
This little guy is so cute and helpful, maybe the folks over at Boston Dynamics won't feel the need to kick him so much.
