[Watch] Robot Dog Herds Sheep With Ease, No Job Left For Humans Soon?

Aadhya Khatri - May 20, 2020

Using its sensors, Spot the robot dog can detect group movement of the flock of sheep as well as natural goods and yield

The robot dog named Spot of Boston Dynamics has recently been put to test. And the whole process is recorded in a video shared by Rocos, a robotics company in New Zealand.

The two companies are in a partnership to develop a system that can manage Spot and other automate fleets remotely.

The video shared by Rocos shows the robot dog finds new use in orchards and fields all over the world. We can see Spot easily navigate through rugged hilly terrain and herd a flock of sheep, a task typically done by dogs and farmers.

Spot robot dog Boston Dynamics herd sheep — We can see Spot easily navigate through rugged hilly terrain and hard a flock of sheep, a task typically done by dogs and farmers

Using its sensors, Spot can detect group movement of the flock as well as natural goods and yield.

According to Rocos, Spot the robot dog can do more than just sheep-herding. The robot dog can also harvest, make real-time maps, and inspect yields, which are enabled by LiDAR and infrared cameras, as well as a nimble range of motions.

According to Rocos, they want to make a system allowing users to design missions and update them remotely from anywhere in the world. This means someday, we can tell Spot to heard sheep in New Zealand while sitting comfortably in India for example.

In a press release, David Inggs, CEO of Rocos said the era of robots is here and the company would like to work with robotics companies like Boston Dynamics to encourage robot adoption. With Rocos’s system, users can have robots for dangerous, dull, or dirty processes.

When COVID-19 struck, we have seen a surge in robot adoption to help humans maintain social distancing, deliver medicines, or keep public spaces and hospitals clean.

According to Michael Perry, Boston Dynamics’ VP of business development, the application they and Rocos are working on will enable new efficiencies for users and businesses all over the world.

Spot is learning new abilities to be more helpful to humans. For example, its latest trick is to assist humans in taking care of COVID-19 patients. Its other abilities are going on patrol to encourage social distancing and pulling rickshaws.