Meet Spot, Our Robot Friend

Boom! In the distance, among a maze of wires, pipes, and machines, engineers hear an explosion.

Explosions don’t just happen in movies and, sadly, they take place more often than you may think. For example, home explosions can occur from unsafe gas conditions. Factory explosions can occur because of anything from faulty machinery to dangerous chemicals being handled the wrong way. When there happens to be an explosion, it can be dangerous to send a person in to investigate. The building might still be unstable. Another explosion might take place soon after. So, what do you do? The ground is too filled with debris to send anything on wheels. A drone can’t always see from the sky when the explosion takes place under a roof or there is too much smoke. At times like this, it’s best to send in Spot, a robot that walks on four legs.

Spot is one of many robots built to walk on surfaces that might be unstable or rocky. Sounds simple enough, but walking is hard! You might not realize it, but your brain makes thousands of decisions each time you take a step. Is the ground going up or down? Is there an object like a toy or a chair in the way? It’s a lot to think about! So when engineers came up with robots like Spot, they used the way the human body worked to design the robot.

We have the five senses — touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell — to tell us about the world. Robots don’t have hands, mouths, eyes, ears, and noses, but they can also learn about their environment. Robots receive information through different types of sensors.

One type of sensor that helps robots to mimic seeing is called LIDAR (say LIE-dar). This sensor uses lasers to make a map of the area. LIDAR instruments send out laser light and measure how the light is bounced back. The robots can use this information to understand the space around them. Because of LIDAR, Spot can enter an explosion site and know when there’s a wall in front of it that it needs to walk around!

Other sensors help robots like Spot to understand when they’re touching something. Force sensors detect a change in length. A force sensor gets smaller when it touches an object. The opposite is true, too. A force sensor gets longer when an object it was touching moves away. Imagine Spot standing on loose gravel or dirt. Spot’s force sensor will detect if some of the gravel or dirt slips away. Spot can use its other three legs to help balance. Then, Spot can move to a place with solid ground.

Not only does Spot use sensors to help it navigate, Spot also uses sensors to bring back information. Pictures are one of the best sources of information during an emergency. Cameras that record movies and still pictures let people determine if it’s safe to go in.

Thermal images are pictures that record temperature. In places with dangerous temperatures, Spot can monitor equipment for signs of hot spots and emergencies.

Spot is also useful when there isn’t an emergency. One example is at building sites. It’s important to know how construction compares to a building’s original blueprint designs. Spot may use sensors that record how light and sound move to measure a new structure. These measurements will determine if the construction site is being built as planned.

All of these sensors are processed through a robot’s computer. This computer acts like the robot’s brain. Computer programs are commands that were designed by humans. These programs help Spot to decide where to go. Computer programs also help Spot to determine where and when to take pictures and measurements.

Spot can walk, trot, climb stairs and avoid obstacles! It can run, jump, and even dance. And it’s all because engineers have the ultimate machine, the human body, to turn to for ideas!