What's more tailor-made for Internet virality: video of a puppy or of a futuristic-looking robot? A buzzy new clip from Boston Dynamics has both: The Google-owned robotics company released a YouTube video of "Spot," a four-legged robot that can navigate rough terrain and office cubicles alike.
Boston Dynamics' video shows a Spot trotting through the halls of the company's offices, scaling hills and stairs outside, and jostling another Spot without either of them falling over. The android pup even stands up to a staffer who tries to kick it over (aww, c'mon, man!), as it skids and stumbles but manages to stay upright.
The puppy-like robot is oddly cute in the video posted on Monday, but it's the latest in a line of robots designed for serious use. Boston Dynamics, which Google acquired in 2013, previously did work for DARPA and has designed robots that can assist soldiers. Previous Boston Dynamics projects include BigDog, another hound-like beast that can throw cinderblocks more than 15 feet; Cheetah, which can run at more than 28 miles per hour; and Sand Flea, which can leap more than two stories up into the air by firing itself from the ground up onto the roof of a low building.
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