It was only a mere week ago that the world got to see what Boston Dynamics’ SpotMini robot dog has been up to. Not only did it make a new friend, it also learned how to open doors for said friend. How sweet.
Only a fool would dare interrupt Boston Dynamics’ SpotMini from opening a door
We’re screwed
We’re screwed
A followup video posted today by the SoftBank-owned company, however, reveals a grave mistake by one of its creators. The video, titled “Testing Robustness,” shows a human attempting to get in the way of SpotMini’s door opening routine. He first halts the robot with a hockey stick, pushing its new arm attachment away from the door. When that didn’t work, he holds the door against the robot to prevent it from successfully pulling it open. SpotMini persists, which results in the man pulling the robot from behind and dragging it backward (breaking a small piece of its back along the way.)
After the man lets go, SpotMini marches on and completes its task. What SpotMini desires, SpotMini gets.
Boston Dynamics helpfully explains in the description of the video that “this testing does not irritate or harm the robot,” which, okay, sure — chant whatever you need to convince yourself you are not totally first on SpotMini’s kill list.
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