Boston Dynamics’ robot dog heads to work at Ford

Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot

Spot on a mapping mission.


Ford

Boston Dynamics’ robot dog is heading to work at Ford in August. The motor company is leasing two of the four-legged robots, nicknamed Fluffy and Spot, to map its Van Dyke manufacturing plant in Michigan. 

“We design and build the plant. After that, over the years, changes are made that rarely get documented,” said Mark Goderis, Ford’s digital engineering manager, in a release on Sunday. “Scanning one plant could take two weeks. With Fluffy’s help, we are able to do it in half the time.”  

Fluffy and Spot are equipped with five cameras and a laser scanner. The two dog-like robots will roam the plant at 3 mph for up to two hours at a time to help engineers collect data on the plant.

Scanning Ford’s facilities isn’t Spot’s first job. The Boston Dynamics robot has also helped doctors assess coronavirus patients, remind humans to maintain social distancing protocols in public parks, herded sheep and pulled former MythBusters host Adan Savage in a rickshaw. 

source: cnet.com