Forget drones dropping boxes from the sky or awkward little coolers on wheels getting stuck on curbs. Boston Dynamics is cooking up a much more agile solution to the “last-mile” delivery problem, and it involves their famous four-legged cyber-pup, Spot. You can call it a “robotic dog” if you want.
Spot is trading industrial inspections for a side hustle as the ultimate delivery companion.
The good boy of logistics
Boston Dynamics has revealed they are “already in talks with major logistics companies” to test Spot as a mobile helper for human delivery drivers. Instead of replacing the driver entirely, the idea is to form a dynamic duo.
Think of Spot as the perfect gaming sidekick, carrying the heavy loot so the main character doesn’t get slowed down. The human driver handles the steering and navigation of the delivery van, while Spot handles the physically exhausting back-and-forth walks to the front door.
To make this happen, Boston Dynamics outfitted Spot with a specialized, bin-like conveyor belt prototype strapped to its back.
A step-by-step look at your future robotic delivery run
The entire process is a masterclass in human-robot synergy, and it works like a well-oiled machine:
- The van pulls up: The human delivery driver parks in front of a suburban home and opens the back doors. Spot hops down onto the street.
- Loading the loot: The driver places the packages onto Spot’s back-mounted conveyor payload.
- Scaling the terrain: Spot trots up the driveway, effortlessly scaling sidewalks, curbs, gravel, and front porch stairs.
- The gentle drop-off: Once at the door, the conveyor gently rolls the package off Spot’s back and onto the porch. Spot then heads back to the van to do it all over again.
Why legs beat wheels (and wings)
If you’re wondering why we need robotic dogs when we already have delivery drones and wheeled rover bots, Boston Dynamics’ Spot product manager, Paige Miller, has some thoughts on the matter.
“Drones haven’t been able to get to the porch, and so packages were being left in the middle of the yard,” Miller pointed out. “We’ve also seen the struggles of various wheeled robots for last-mile delivery.”
When other robots hit a single step, a patch of thick mud, or a steep driveway, they’re essentially defeated. Spot’s quad-pedal design lets it navigate highly “unstructured” environments with human-level agility.
To prove just how gentle Spot can be, the team even used the robot to successfully deliver a carton of eggs without cracking a single shell. Talk about a delicate touch!
The next level: Spot’s boot camp
Don’t expect Spot to be bringing you your next Amazon order tomorrow morning, though. No, not yet.
While the hardware is very capable, navigating a real suburban neighborhood is a chaotic challenge. Spot still needs to learn how to deal with unpredictable obstacles like kids on bikes, loose garbage bins, and curious real-life dogs who might not appreciate a yellow metallic intruder on their turf.
Because of this, Boston Dynamics notes that early rollouts will likely feature human drivers controlling Spot remotely. This allows the team to collect vital real-world routing data before letting Spot’s AI take the wheel completely.
But one thing is for sure. The future of getting your packages delivered is looking a lot more futuristic and a lot more robotic.
Sources: The Verge, Boston Dynamics