Boston Dynamics’ nightmare-inducing robot dogs have been recently equipped with an arm that enables them to open doors. The company released two short videos showing off a pair of the dog-like robots called SpotMinis.
While one robot is struggling to open a door, its mate extends a claw from its body, grips the handle, opens the door, and holds it open for its “buddy”.
- In just a few hours, the video dubbed “Hey Buddy, Can You Give Me a Hand?” accrued more than 130,000 views.
- A previous clip was viewed over 10 million times.
The company said a robotic dog from the SpotMini series has a weight of 55 pounds and runs on an electric battery. The robotic arm showcased in the latest video is powered by a series of sensors and can handle various objects, not just door handles.
Robotic Dogs Trigger Mixed Reactions
While some people called the machines “brilliant” or “cute,” other people had a sense of discomfort wondering what the robots may turn out to be. The dog-like bots were s source of inspiration for a “Black Mirror” episode dubbed “Metalhead” that envisioned a post-apocalyptic future.
Well… I guess humans are obsolete now,
one social media user wrote.
Another was concerned that the automatons may want to murder us.
Why does Boston Dynamics seemingly brag about being the developers of our future mass murderers and robot overlords? pic.twitter.com/3oNzkpyvIT
— Jᴏɴᴏ Pᴇᴄʜ (@JonoHimself) February 12, 2018
The creator of Black Mirror confirmed that they drew inspiration from the company’s “dogs” for the post-apocalyptic episode.
Nevertheless, not all people were that gloomy about the technology. Many were curious to learn if the robot dogs could make their lives easier. One YouTube user wanted to know when the “robot butler” was out.
Boston Dynamics is a privately owned firm that is best known for a military dog-like prototype, a project commissioned and sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (
Image Source: Wikimedia
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