Construction
Boston Dynamics began offering Spot to a small group of chosen early business customers, picked for having a practical use for it.
A dated step forward on the record · Company-reported
What the source says
“The company is only going to sell the robot to companies that can put it to practical use.”
What it means
Spot, from Boston Dynamics, is at stage 4 of 5 on our ladder: paying customers. Its stage is set by other milestones on its record; this one adds to the history. This line rests on the company's own announcement; no regulator, customer or independent report confirms it in our sources yet.
Human help: The maker hasn't said whether people help it remotely.
More on Spot
- Wichita, Kansas, city council approved buying one Spot robot for police bomb-squad work, at an estimated cost of about $330,000.
- Boston Dynamics said it had deployed more than 2,000 Spot and Stretch (warehouse) robots in total, and released a software update that adds security patrols.
- Hyundai Motor Group completed its purchase of an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank, in a deal that valued the company at $1.1 billion.
- New York City police ended their $94,000 contract for a Spot robot (nicknamed "Digidog") early, after public criticism.
- Spot went on general sale to US businesses at $74,500. Before that, more than 150 had been placed with companies and labs through a lease-only early program.