Watch Boston Dynamics Spot Robot Dog Bust A Move On The Factory Dance Floor

Boston Dynamics' robot dog, Spot, is well known for busting a move on the dance floor, but the company doesn't want you to forget it is not a one-trick pony. Er, umm, dog.

Spot has become well known for its dance routines featured on Boston Dynamics' YouTube channel. In one video, Spot even mimics Mick Jagger as he dances and sings "Start Me Up." In the latest video, maintenance worker Murray longs for Spot to join him on the dance floor. Spot keeps ignoring Murray's wishes in order to do its job, until one-day his co-workers make Murray's dream come true. And the ensuing routine would even impress Kevin Bacon's Ren McCormick character in the movie Footloose (or Kenny Wormald's character, if you prefer the remake).

The point of the video is to make sure people know that Spot is far more than a dancing robot dog. In fact, customers utilize it to "collect thousands of data points to drive predictive maintenance models, build comprehensive digital twins of their construction site, and minimize the risk to employees in hazardous situations."

In order to stay current with cutting-edge technology, the company recently made upgrades to Spot's base sensors, integrated a new and improved tablet controller, and created a more intelligent and faster charger to keep Spot up and running at maximum efficiency.

Along with all those upgrades, Spot's five stereo cameras now implement full-color imagery along with the existing depth information. The cameras are located about the robot's body in order to provide a three-dimensional map of its surroundings. The addition of color is not for Spot, but rather the operator. By adding color, the operator's view is made easier to decipher Spot's surroundings from the tablet or from Spot's remote operation software, Scout.

Other advancements to Spot include improvements to its edge computing capabilities, new payloads that help mitigate challenges presented by using WiFi and/or LTE solutions, and the addition of 5G connectivity.

The robotic dog has already proven to be of great value to a wide array of applications across many industries. While we all have a bit of Murray in us, in that we hope Spot will not lose its love for dancing, we also look forward to how the robotic dog will be upgraded in the future.

Top Image Courtesy of Boston Dynamics