Ancient Italian city 'recruits' dog robots to fight poachers

Pompeii Archaeological Park has 'recruited' a 4-legged robot to patrol the streets and tunnels of this ancient Italian city to scare away antiquities poachers.

Robot Spot works in Pompeii.

The Daily Mail (UK) on March 29 said that the above security robot, called Spot, takes on patrol duty in Pompeii at night or anytime it is closed to tourists.

Spot also takes on the role of investigating tunnels dug by antiquities poachers, which cause many infrastructure problems and often carry a risk for authorities to access.

Spot will use cameras and sensors to collect data on hard-to-reach structures in Pompeii.

Pompeii is an ancient city buried under volcanic ash and pumice caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Today, the archaeological ruins of Pompeii cover an area of ​​​​about 440,000 square meters, but they are facing degradation due to natural agents and human activities.

Spot is suitable for indoor or outdoor use, being able to map the environment, sense and avoid obstacles, climb stairs and open doors. Spot can also perform dangerous missions in various harsh environments such as nuclear plants, offshore oil fields and construction sites.

The American company Boston Dynamics produced the Spot. Spot was launched in June 2020 for $ 75,000.