What good is a robot dog that can’t carry beers?
So you may have seen that the world’s most exciting robot company, Boston Dynamics, have just announced that their robo-dog Spot is now for sale. The digital pup that inspired that super scary Black Mirror episode can be yours for the price of $75K USD and on their website, the company has listed some uses for Spot to help justify that whopping price tag. In reality, there aren’t too many… Mainly that it “can be adapted for tasks ranging from industrial inspection to entertainment.”
Don’t want to tell these scientists how to do their job, but there are way more cool things you could do with Spot that they simply have overlooked or ignored. Here are just a few that we came up with that are way better that *iNdUsTrIaL iNsPeCtIoN*:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmPruFdp3WA&feature=emb_title
1. Weirding out other dogs/dog owners.
Could you imagine taking Spot to the dog park and watching how other dogs react? What would they do? Would they be scared/excited? Would they think of Spot as a friend or foe? And, on top of that, it would be hilarious if you treated Spot like a real dog and talked to it and hugged it etc – that would freak us the fuck out. Do it!
2. Taking in the view.
Ever hiked for hours to get to some amazing viewpoint? Ever been on a hike where the journey took all day and was barely even worth it? Well, here’s where Spot comes in. Just send him to the top of the mountain/field and snap some screenshots when he/she gets up to the top. Then you can share them on your socials to let all your mates know just how healthy and active you are.
3. Sussing a spot at festivals.
Ever at a festival and you’re worried you’re going to miss getting a good spot for your favourite band? Just send this cute robo-dog (maybe put a note on it that says he will explode if touched) to hold your place while you line up for beers.
4. Checking the surf.
Too lazy to get up and check the surf for yourself? Just send Spot out to do it for you and watch it on the video stream. Then you will know whether it’s worth getting out of bed or not.
5. World domination.
Look, if you haven’t seen the Black Mirror episode mentioned above, you probably should watch it. Spot and more gnarly versions of Spot will be taking over the human race faster than you can say “this robot dog is devouring my innards”. So why not get ahead of the curve, buy a Spot of your own now and upgrade it to defend you against the digital soldiers of the future? I bet the lady in the episode certainly wished she had…
