AI-powered robot dog Spot performs tasks

Spot, the quadruped robot often compared to a robotic dog, pauses in front of a wall-mounted whiteboard. After reading a handwritten note instructing it to put all the shoes back in the rack, it picks up scattered pairs and neatly places them in order.

Boston Dynamics, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, has upgraded the robot with an artificial intelligence system. The company posted videos on its YouTube channel on April 14 and 15 local time showing Spot powered by Gemini performing a range of tasks in both home and industrial settings.

In the videos, Spot reads instructions written by a homeowner and executes them seamlessly. It disposes of trash and places laundry in a basket as directed. Later, after reading a new instruction to walk the dog, it picks up a leash and heads outside.

Boston Dynamics said the new capabilities stem from collaboration with Google. By integrating its robotics software platform, Orbit, with Google’s robotic AI system, Gemini Robotics ER 1.6, the company said it has developed a more advanced version of Spot.

“Spot has moved beyond simply seeing,” the company said. “It can now understand, reason and act on its own.”


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com