This robotic 'dog' enforces social distancing
The robot has a built-in speaker that broadcasts a recorded message
Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is Spot the robot.
A robotic "dog" is helping enforce social-distancing requirements at a popular park in Singapore, said Trevor Mogg at Digital Trends. Spot, a bright-yellow quadrupedal robot designed by Boston Dynamics, is being "steered around the park remotely" and has a built-in speaker that broadcasts a recorded message.
(Courtesy image)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But the device also has a 360-degree camera for determining crowd levels. The four-legged design has been handling the park's terrain better than other wheeled robots, leading to praise from Singapore officials and viral videos that have shown Spot leaping and sprinting. This is not Spot's first "gig linked to the pandemic." It has also patrolled the halls at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, linking patients to doctors by videoconference to cut the chances of infection.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Horror stories of women having to carry nonviable fetuses'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Haiti interim council, prime minister sworn in
Speed Read Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns amid surging gang violence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 26, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - teleprompter troubles, presidential immunity, and more
By The Week US Published