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Can Your Dog Do the Dishes?

Aug. 4, 2016

Boston Dynamics SpotMini dog-like robot is down for doing household chores.

I have two dogs who I adore, but neither fetches me the newspaper let alone cleans up the copious amounts of water they regularly drip all over my hardwood floors.

No risk of such messes with SpotMini, the sort-of dog-like, four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics, the robotics company now owned by Google. In a recent video clip released by the company, SpotMini is shown loading up a dishwasher, tossing out the trash and even serving his couch-potato human a cold drink. To cap off SpotMini’s domestic chores, the robot-beast slips on a strategically placed banana peel and shows its dexterity in picking itself up.

SpotMini weighs in at 55 pounds and features an all-electric system, 90 minutes of battery life, solid-state gyro, and stereoscopic depth cameras. It’s pimped out to take on basic household tasks—that is, if you don't mind a metal mutt lurking around your house. I think I’ll pass on SpotMini for now and stick to my slobbering, furry poochies who are good for love and laughs—for housework, not so much.

About the Author

Beth Stackpole, contributing writer | Contributing Editor, Automation World

Beth Stackpole is a veteran journalist covering the intersection of business and technology, from the early days of personal computing to the modern era of digital transformation. As a contributing editor to Automation World, Beth's coverage traverses a range of industries and technologies, including AI/machine learning, analytics, automation hardware and software, cloud, security, edge computing, and supply chain. In addition to her high-tech and business journalism work, Beth writes an array of custom editorial content and thought leadership pieces.