Advancement in technology has given us many innovative things and robot dogs are one of them. Two decades back if you were told robot dogs were possible, you wouldn’t have believed it. But today, we have many well-established companies like Petoi coming up with robot dog technology.
Before diving into the main topic, let’s talk about what a robot dog is. A robot dog is a robot that is designed in the shape of a real dog. Being a robot can do much more than being a cute pet.
The best robot dogs are capable of delivering packages, performing household chores, learning new tricks, opening doors, and whatnot. For example, the Bittle robot dog by Petoi is used for robotics and STEM learning.
Now the question is where robot dogs stand in the future technological world. Are they going to be the next big thing or just a gimmick? Let’s find that out.
Evolution of Robot Dogs
Robot dogs have been a point of study and fascination for ages. Over the years, researchers and experts have designed different types of robot dogs. Looking at the way things are progressing, it can be said that it is moving in the right direction.
The invention of the quadruped robot dog is being explored in a variety of fields, ranging from military operations to entertainment, and others. Today, robotic dogs are purchased by developers and businesses to complete various tasks. Not just that, but they are also used to explore environments that are dangerous for humans.
When it comes to robot dogs comparison, there exist different categories. Each type of robot dog is designed for a specific purpose.
- Boston Dynamics BigDog
This is the first industrial-grade robot dog that was launched in 2005. It was designed to help soldiers navigate dangerous and unsafe terrains.
- Boston Dynamics AlphaDog Proto
It is a quadruped Robot dog that was designed to carry heavy gear over rocky terrains. This robotic dog was created to help soldiers. It was first introduced in 2011.
- Boston Dynamics Spot Mini
Spot is a modern robotic dog that was launched in 2016. It features a sleek and slim design and was built to explore remote environments that are deemed unsafe for humans. It can travel five feet per second and weighs around 160 lbs.
- ANYmal
This end-to-end quadrupedal robotic dog was also introduced in 2016. It is designed to inspect power plants. It is equipped with laser sensors and provides acoustic and thermal readings.
- Ghost Robotics Vision 60
Launched in 2021, Vision 60 is equipped with a sniper rifle. It is designed to help the military to detect threats. It also offers high-quality video streaming.
- CyberDog
This is more of an experimental project that is launched in 2021. It is mainly designed for developers and researchers. It is powered by AI and can respond to voice commands.
- Petoi Bittle
There’s a palm-sized robotic dog called the Petoi Bittle robot dog, which is an open source programmable robo dog that can walk like a real dog and is designed for STEM and robotics projects.
After going through the mentioned robotic dogs, it should be clear that the concept of robot dogs is far from being just cute pets. Robot dogs are designed to serve various purposes and complete important tasks.
With every passing year, robot dogs are becoming more advanced. In the Kia Superbowl robot dog commercial, you will see how realistic an ultimate virtual puppy looks.
Based on the current development, it can be said that robot dogs have a huge scope in the technology industry. A few years down the line, you can buy a life-size robot dog for your home. We are not saying that Robo dogs will replace real dogs, but they can be fun to have around.
At this moment, big robo dogs are mainly used for industrial tasks, military projects, etc. Small robot dogs are used for entertainment and STEM learning, But it can be expected that it will become more mainstream in the future.
The concept of robot dogs has transformed over the years. With the aid of technology, robotic engineers are designing more powerful and intelligent robot dogs. Hopefully, these robot dogs are capable of doing much more than a real dog and can be very useful in the technology world in the future.
