US Marines ‘SPOT’ On With Google’s Robot

The US Marine Corps Warfighting Lab has tested a quadruped prototype combat robot, ‘spot’ designed by Boston Dynamics, a Google company last week.

The US Marines posted pictures of the four legged robot on twitter on September 17 along with a tweet, “The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab tests the future of 4-legged companions in the hills & woods of MCB Quantico.”

Test trials were also conducted.

In one such trial, the robot was sent into a building before the Marines to look for potential threats.

Spot's agility was assessed as well, by running it through a number of hills and various terrains, both woodland and urban.

Overall, Boston Dynamics' new development performed well above expectations.

Though the radio-controlled quadruped is not the first developed by the firm, Spot is unique in many ways. These include its lighter weight, more graceful movements and quieter operation.

Ben Swilling, a roboticist with Boston Dynamics, noted, "I think a robot like Spot has tons of opportunities [Marines] could use it for, like scouting or load carriage."

Further, sending a machine rather than a human into dangerous situations could spare lives.