Ex-top cop: License robowatchdog
Boston Dynamics plans to unleash its SpotMini
A pack of doglike robots wired to guard private property on a mission paid for by its owners is not the next “Transformers” sequel — it’s a business plan by a Bay State company that has triggered worries about oversight.
SpotMini, a cyborg canine designed by the tech whizzes at Boston Dynamics, will be for sale sometime next year, the company just announced.
The four-legged robots with flat platforms could also be used for more than just patrolling the perimeter of someone’s property. Whatever they can ultimately do, one former top cop said they should be licensed from the start.
“It’s important for a police officer who responds to a call to know what they are facing, so licensing is important,” said Edward F. Davis, Boston’s former police commissioner, who is now a private security consultant.
Davis, already guarding his clients against drones in the field, said enforcing the robot licenses will be just as critical.
Boston Dynamics has 10 SpotMinis with CEO Marc Raibert announcing Friday that the company plans to manufacture about 100 more in the coming year and go into mass production by the middle of next year.
He would not reveal the price, saying on a TechCrunch Twitter Q&A that he’s working on driving the cost down. The robot, he did say, has cameras in front, back and on the sides, and uses mapping software to climb stairs and avoid obstacles.
The company also showed off its two-legged robot taking a hike through the woods. It’s all part of the amazing advancement of robotics, two experts in the field told the Herald this weekend.
“This is an evolutionary thing with robotics,” said professor Michael Peshkin of Northwestern University, co-inventor of “cobots,” collaborative robots that work with people.
“This is triggering our science fiction impulses — maybe these robot dogs will form a pack,” he said, adding it’s more likely they’ll fall down the stairs. “I don’t see a need for licensing unless we can identify a risk. They don’t bite or get rabies. But we should keep track of who’s got them if there is a need for a recall or some special worry.”
George A. Bekey, professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, said the robots can be used for “good or bad.” But he said robots are here to stay, so get used to it.
“What we’re seeing, though, is the natural evolution of the technology,” he said. “If they are used as policemen, yes they should be licensed. If used in a factory, there’s no reason to license that.
“Robots are going to take more and more jobs, and we shouldn’t worry,” he added. “Robotics is here to stay.”
Boston Dynamics, a secretive company founded in 1992, is known for its YouTube videos of its running and jumping robots. The Waltham company is now ready to shed that persona and jump into the market.