Boston Dynamics is about to sell robots, is the world ready?

The robot Spot, which is expected to be sold by Boston Dynamics later this year, is expected to change the current heavy robot industry with more flexible, agile machines.

Not many robot companies can attract large numbers of fans like Boston Dynamics. Every time the company shared new videos of its invention, they all sparked interest, whether it was a truck robot robot or a robot.

Boston Dynamics offers a perspective on the future of high technology and apocalypse when robots dominate the human world. The company has created products that are so advanced that a parody video called 'Bosstown Dynamics' , showing robotics to beat the technical staff, made netizens nervous because they thought it was real.

However, Boston Dynamics now faces a big challenge: Turn inventions into real business. After decades of testing, the company plans to launch Quadrupedal Spot - the first commercial robot - by the end of the year.

People are ready to live with robots?

Anyone in the robot industry will evaluate their field with simple phrases, honed over years of trial and error: 'Extremely difficult'.

This field is famously harsh. Just last year, three robotics companies went bankrupt in just a few months.'The robot industry requires great funding, dedicated leaders, highly skilled staff, good infrastructure, reasonable market strategy and excellent products' , James Kuffner, expert worked at Toyota Research Institute, evaluated.

Boston Dynamics seems to be successful in meeting these factors, but partly because the company does not face a commercial environment.

BigDog is a giant dog robot, manufactured by Boston Dynamics for the military but removed because of "too noisy".(Photo: The Verge).

Since its founding in 1992, Boston Dynamics has been backed by big customers like the ' Ministry of Defense '. Earlier, the company was shaped by the government and acquired by Alphabet as an attempt by the technology giant to join the robot industry.

'For a long time, we were just a research unit, working in paperwork and around ideas' , Boston CEO Dynamics Marc Raibert said. 'When making robots more and more useful, we realized we could commercialize it.'

Pentagon contracts have given Boston Dynamics the opportunity to develop advanced leg-like robots like BigDog, but it's still hard to sell them to the market. Instead, the company continues to impress by creating machines that meet the needs for decades: Mobility.

A machine that can run, jump and trot

Professor Hod Lipson from Columbia University thinks mobility is beyond the capabilities of most machines. 'We think playing chess is excellent, but the real problem lies in the ability to move and coordinate hundreds of parts together,' he said.

'Most robots are still very clumsy. A physical obstacle, even the smallest, can make them confused, ' Lipson added.

Robots commonly found in factories: Heavy and repetitive work.(Photo: The Verge).

Most machines used in factories or warehouses are now big and heavy. The robots of the future will be more dynamic, able to work with people and respond to their surroundings. Over the years, Boston Dynamics has tried to break the invisible boundary of robot mobility.

'They (Boston Dynamics) were on the government desk, and then Google' , said Erik Nieves. He is the founder of Plus One Robotics automation company. 'The company does not have a specific task, which is a great thing. But they are inherently great. '

The commercial launch of Boston Dynamics was the acquisition of SoftBank in 2017. The Japanese company provided important resources to develop the robot manufacturing process.

Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert regularly appears with Hawaiian flowers and leaves.(Photo: Zimbio).

Accordingly, CEO Marc Raibert also became a familiar figure in technology conferences, when he directed Quadrupedal Spot robot to jump, trot and swing on stage.

Raibert's greatest promise is to turn Spot into 'Android of robots' - a customized platform that other companies can build to meet specific needs.

With machine arms capable of handling objects, sensors including thermal cameras and 360 degrees as well as other radio units, Spot will become a flexible robot. It can be used for a variety of missions, from field surveys to deliveries, even for military purposes.

The robot market is still wide open. Companies like Knightscope have provided robot parking surveillance and commercial centers, with cheaper rates than hiring workers. However, they are limited by wheels.

This is a golden opportunity for Boston Dynamics to bring the Spot closer to reality, with the image of a robot being able to plunge through obstacles.

Market full of potential

At this point, the robots of Boston Dynamics not only exist as single products, but on the vision of the future.

Raibert said that the difference between Spot and the robots had previous legs like days and nights. In order to achieve the current achievement, the company relied on 'low-end AI' - an artificial intelligence control system that keeps robots upright and balanced in all situations. Left, how to control it is decided by people.

Foot design has a natural advantage. They work in many different environments and are highly adaptable. That is why nature exists many species with flexible legs.

Robot Spot has the ability to balance well even under the influence of external forces.(Photo: Boston Dynamics).

Boston Dynamics is not the only company that sees this potential. Many competitors have appeared like Laikago, a 4-legged robot designed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics. Or the Vision and Wraith series of machines made by Ghost Robotics from Philadelphia (USA).

There is also ANYmal, developed by ANYbotics - a separation company from ETH Zurich University (Switzerland). This robot is especially similar to Spot, which can work in many environments with a host of additional utilities.

In the opinion of Peter Fankhauser, ANYbotics CEO, the fact that many robot development companies have legs is a good sign.'It creates a diverse market , ' he said. 'Customers will be afraid to buy products if there is only one supplier'.

Chairman of Progress Automation Association Jeff Burnstein agrees. But he expressed concern about the true potential of robots because the hardware is too new.

ANYmal robot is currently used for mineral exploration.(Photo: The Verge).

According to some observations, Boston Dynamics will be wise to put Spot in normal environments, but with high profitability, like warehouses.

Earlier, the company acquired Kinema System, which brings technology to identify and lift objects around its robots. As a result, these machines have become more and more suitable to replace people in navigating and managing warehouses.

However, robots still use batteries, which requires companies to buy multiple machines so they can replace the session. Pneumatic grip of robot Handle can only pick up certain goods, making transportation difficult.

Handle is a bird-shaped robot of Boston Dynamics, using a nozzle to move the box.(Photo: The Verge).

Overall, the robot industry is still in the development phase and Boston Dynamics has not yet set a specific timeline for selling products. The company can research further to meet this potential warehouse automation market.

New breeze for the robot industry

You can see Boston Dynamics as a test step for the future of automation. However, its true potential is still a big question mark.

Robots are becoming more popular, but experts fear they are not working effectively. In an article, economists Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo talked about the "automation" phenomenon - when human replacement technologies are not really beneficial.

This can be seen clearly at Walmart, where robots are taking on common tasks like scanning shelves. Staff said that machines did not help their work light, but were more stressful because of increased management time.

The robot in the Amazon warehouse uses QR codes on the floor to navigate.(Photo: Drappers).

At Amazon warehouses, robots also take on many jobs, but only temporarily. In this case, people are treated like machines.

Acemoglu and Restrepo warn if this trend continues and there is no new job opportunity, workers' lives will become difficult. The most obvious manifestation is the increase in workload and stagnation of wages.

The gloomy scenario makes the Boston Dynamics robot more interesting. Instead of producing heavy machines, forcing people to build every time they fall, the company is creating a real 'auto' . At least, that's what we see on the introductory videos.

'I think robots affect people's lives in a positive way. It will help increase productivity, free us from dull, dirty and dangerous jobs, ' Raibert said. 'I hate to see such a great opportunity missed, just because of the fear of possible risks.'

Now was the right time for Boston Dynamics to prove that their robots were ready to leave the laboratory and go to the world.