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One of the internet’s most famous (or infamous) robots is officially going on sale. Yesterday, Boston Dynamics added Spot to its online storefront, making the four-legged robot available to any business that’s willing to cough up $74,500.
What does that get you?
Spot stands out from the robot pack due to its extreme mobility and flexibility. The “rugged and customizable platform,” as Boston Dynamics calls it, climbs stairs, navigates unfamiliar territory, and picks itself up after falling down.
Companies can remotely operate Spot and fit it with sensors for automated data collection. Operators can also place payloads on Spot to carry across worksites.
Early adopter program
Last year, Boston Dynamics began leasing Spot to a select group of customers in construction, electrical power generation, oil and gas, mining, and other industries.
“The plan was always to make Spot more generally available for purchase,” Boston Dynamics VP of Business Development Michael Perry told me. The company used the early adopter program to zero in on the right industries while ironing out training and customer service.
Over the last three months, Perry said demand for Spot has increased. As the robotics industry likes to say, robots thrive in dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs. “The world of dangerous environments, where you want to consider automation taking over tasks that humans would be doing, expanded pretty rapidly over the past three months,” Perry said.
Coupled with lessons from 150 Spots leased out, inbound demand for the robot “created the perfect storm for releasing the product now.”
From fame to fortune
Internet influencers are skilled at monetizing fame...but internet robotinfluencers? Not so much. Most of Spot’s online cameos, such as towing Adam Savage in a rickshaw or shepherding in New Zealand, are designed to drum up hype. Now that Boston Dynamics has released its first commercial product, the robot’s handling of unsexy commercial use cases will determine its success.