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Robot dogs are rapidly increasing around the world, entertaining playfulness before transforming into trusted companions that are deployed across a wide range of terrain, from production plants to battlefields.
The increased use of caninoids is part of a wider revolution in robotics, as advances in both hardware and software allow machines to adapt to challenging environments.
Mechanized tetrapods hit sweet spots because of their convenience and predictability. They share important attributes with Android, such as being able to walk. However, their center of gravity means that they are less likely to suffer from problems, such as instability in the rough ground, with less effort to deploy two-legged robots.
This field has come a long way since the launch of Sony’s Aibo Robot Dog in the late 1990s. It quickly felt like it was sold out, but in the end it was a cute curiosity.
Mechanized Hounds are Useful and Predictable ©Pau Barrena/AFP/Getty Images
A quarter-century mechanized hound is set to work in many jobs that are repetitive, laborious or potentially dangerous for humans. They have what is called “athletic intelligence.” It is the ability to move around and readjust in the face of difficulties, such as walking on stone ground.
Applications include search and rescue after a disaster, nuclear decommissioning, and explosive disposal. The UK government announced in February that it had successfully conducted a trial to detect and eliminate bombs using advanced robots, including dogs.
Robot hounds such as Boston Dynamics spots are increasingly common sights in industrial production facilities, allowing permanent monitoring of safety and efficiency issues. Pharmaceuticals Group GSK uses custom-made spot inspectors to check, for example, the tanks of propellant used in the company’s ventrin inhalers.
These complex environments demonstrate how AI can help improve the functionality of robots. When Spot’s giant AB Inbev version of Spot came across a slippery floor while searching for air leaks in the canned line, its Boston Dynamics Master taught him to deal with it using machine learning simulations.
Robot dogs are increasingly being spotted on the streets of China, sometimes like a fun play where people wear costumes. In Singapore, mechanized dogs are used to guide people with visual impairments.
Four-legged automata are also used for security purposes. They have seen them patrol the grounds of President Donald Trump’s Mar Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Even though some manufacturers are uncomfortable with this, military use of dogs is growing. Last year, Chinese state media broadcast footage from a military exercise in which a mechanical dog fired a weapon from its back.
Ukraine has used robotic dogs on the battlefield in the battle against Russian invasions, and the US has tested anti-tank weapons tied to one.
The use of these hard edges highlights the potential imaging issues that the manufacturer of robotic dogs must contest. The idea of a quadruped automaton roaming the streets is reminiscent of dystopian images similar to fragmentary surveillance spiders in the film’s minority report.
Robot dog manufacturers are also tackling technical challenges. Machines can still be confused when they recognize environments such as tall grasses, not passing by.
Meanwhile, Ersatz Canines’ capabilities are constantly expanding.
This month, a team of China-led scientists unveiled an amphibious robot dog inspired by the ability of ground mammals to swim. Potential future applications of the technology include environmental research, military vehicles and rescue missions, the researchers said.
The machine achieved speeds of about 0.6km/hr, or less than half of what could be managed on land. The swimming movements were aided by double dog legs, mimicking the paddling of a real dog. Its efforts to balance weight and buoyancy have improved water stability.
“This innovation shows a great advancement in designing robots inspired by nature,” says Yunquan Li, co-author of the study published in the Journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.
If robot dogs can be deployed to be useful, it continues to grow as technology develops, and with signs that they are becoming increasingly versatile partners, like their living counterparts.
