The Boston Dynamics robot is taking a break from dancing to go on duty as a robotic guard dog in Italy.
The Pompeii archaeological park has enlisted the four-legged robot called Spot to patrol the ancient Italian city’s streets and tunnels instead of humans.
Spot will patrol Pompeii at nighttime or whenever the site is closed to tourists, providing a live feed for human officials situated off-site, as reported by Mail Online.
Part of Spot’s job is to investigate tunnels dug by illegal relic hunters, which are causing structural issues but would be dangerous or too tight for officials to access safely.
Spot, which is developed by US firm Boston Dynamics, is using its cameras and sensors to provide a feed of hard-to-reach Pompeii structures.
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It’s capable of inspecting ‘even the smallest of spaces’, gathering and recording data useful for planning interventions to fix safety and structural issues.
‘We wish to test the use of these robots in the underground tunnels that were made by illegal excavators and which we are uncovering in the area around Pompeii,’ said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii archaeological park.
Spot, which is suited for indoor or outdoor use, can map its environment, sense and avoid obstacles, climb stairs and open doors. Spot is also designed to undertake hazardous tasks in a variety of inhospitable environments such as nuclear plants, offshore oil fields and construction sites.
‘Often the safety conditions within the tunnels dug by grave robbers are extremely precarious, as a consequence of which the use of a robot could signify a breakthrough that would allow us to proceed with greater speed and in total safety,’ said Zuchtriegel.
Pompeii is an ancient city that was buried under volcanic ash and pumice by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Today, its archaeological ruins cover around 440,000 square meters but face degradation from natural forces and human activity.
However, Spot isn’t the only cutting-edge technology in use in Pompeii. Pompeii archaeological park is also using Leica BLK2FLY, a flying laser scanner capable of autonomously conducting 3D scans.
Spot the robot dog was announced by Boston Dynamics back in 2016 but was under development for years before being released in June 2020 for a whopping £60,000.
Spot has been used for a range applications, including inspecting SpaceX launch test sites and the French army, to help train military school personnel.
While Spot is not yet certified safe for use in homes, Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert previously said they were working on it.
‘We also have a project that I’m sure many of you are going to be very interested in, and that’s cleaning up your house,’ he said in 2020. ‘I think you’re going to love the idea that the robot can be put in a room and use its vision system to identify your kids’ clothing that’s been lying around.’
The robot dog is also routinely featured in Boston Dynamics promotional videos dancing to musical numbers, such as ‘Uptown Funk’. Last year, Spot even challenged K-pop boy band BTS to a dance-off.
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