US Marines test Google X's military robot
The US Marines Corp has tested the latest version of a military quadruped robot called Spot, created by Boston Dynamics, which is now owned by Google X. Spot ﻿﻿uses four hydraulically actuated legs, making it flexible enough to tackle tough terrain that some military vehicles may not be able to access. Spot can be operated manually from ﻿a laptop that is situated half a mile away and is designed to work alongside humans. The Marine Corp tested the robot to carry heavy equipment and monitor buildings during military ﻿raids.

Spot at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Marines TV

See Spot run. Or, more accurately, see Spot scout for danger for the United States Marines.

Boston Dynamics, a robotics company bought by Google in 2013, created a four-legged robot known as Spot that could end up work with a Marine rifle squad.

Spot helps the Marines the same way an actual dog would — by scouting for danger and alerting the Marines whether it is safe or not to advance.

Weighing in at 160 pounds, Spot is controlled by a game controller attached to a laptop. The operator can be as much as 500 meters (less than half a mile) away. Spot was tested by Boston Dynamics, DARPA and the Marine at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia September 16.

“They can’t get shot and they can’t die, that’s really the reason right? It’s basically if you want to send something into a dangerous way and don’t want anyone to get hurt,” said Ben Swilling, a roboticist for Boston Dynamics, to MarinesTV.

Spot is the third prototype to come out of the project. An electric engine drives Spot’s hydraulics system, making it much quieter than previous prototypes that were run by two-stroke engines. The former gas-burner driven engines made Spot sound like a chainsaw when in use. The latest prototype is also much lighter than previous ones, the first of which weighed in at about 1,200 pounds.

Spot can also handle terrain that some vehicles cannot, and successfully maneuvered through woods, hills and urban environments during the Marine Corps drills. It can carry up to 150 pounds, almost matching its body weight. Spot can be kicked, even on icy surfaces, and regain its balance without falling.

It is not expected for mass production in the near future as the Marine Corps continue to test the best way to use quadruped robots.

Boston Dynamics has created robots of this nature before. BigDog is a quadruped robot that can hurl a cinderblock, travel through mud and snow and jog up to 5 miles per hour. WildCat is another quadruped robot designed to run 16 miles per hour on flat terrain.

See Spot in action: