Kawasaki Bex robot goat is an odd vision for travel and cargo of the future

Who said that robot goats should have all the fun, especially when you can ride on a robot goat or let it carry your bags for you.

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot had become quite popular in the past few years, especially when the quadruped robot got assigned tasks related to COVID-19 countermeasures. Spot has been famously or infamously labeled as a robot “dog” simply because of its four legs and smaller stature, especially compared to its larger and more nightmare-ish predecessor BigDog. For all its versatility, there are still some things it can’t do, so Kawasaki took inspiration from a different animal to design a robot that could carry not only things but also people on its back.

Designer: Kawasaki

A goat is probably the last animal you’d think of as an inspiration for a human-friendly robot, especially since they’re often portrayed in a negative light. For some cultures, however, goats are used as beasts of burden for carrying cargo, which does go in line with Kawasaki’s vision for its robot, which it named “Bex.” This name was taken from the Ibex, a species of large wild goat that embodies the kind of mobility that the motorcycle maker was aiming for.

Ibexes are famous for climbing mountains with steep slopes to the point that they seem to almost defy the laws of physics. Navigating uneven terrain on four legs is something that quadruped robots like Spot is already able to do and is pretty much a solved problem for most robotics companies. Bex can definitely do it too, but it actually has a trick up its sleeves, or rather down its legs.

When the terrain is flat and smooth, Bex can get down on its knees and roll on wheels rather than galloping to its destination. This creates a better balance for the robot but is also more comfortable for the human riding on its back. And that is the second biggest difference between Spot and Bex, that the latter is actually designed to be ridden by humans.

The prototype’s design is, of course, terribly uncomfortable for riding, which is why it’s still a prototype. Kawasaki also designed Bex to be modular, though, so owners and operators can remove the parts that make it look like a giant goat in favor of components that will increase its carrying capabilities. It’s definitely a strange way to travel or to carry your things, but that’s not exactly worse than having a headless robot dog following you around.

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Hyundai envisions Boston Dynamic’s Spot as your ambassador to Mars in the metaverse




The metaverse will supposedly let us be anywhere we want, and all we need is a robot proxy to explore other planets.

The term “metaverse” has been around long before Facebook’s dramatic rebranding, but its popularity definitely spiked in the past few months thanks to that. The idea of moving around in virtual space and interacting with other people half a world away is as old as the Internet and science fiction, but the possibility of seamlessly blending the real and the digital has only been possible these past years. Now companies are scrambling to get on the metaverse bandwagon, and Hyundai’s ideas include using Spot to be your stand-in for places you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach.

Designer: Hyundai

Spot is one of the most popular robots in mainstream news and possibly also one of the most infamous. Built to be less horrifying than BigDog, the quadruped robot became Hyundai’s property when the carmaker bought Boston Dynamics. Spot proved to be a hit in the past two years, allowing doctors to safely check up on patients remotely or letting security personnel remind people to practice physical distancing from the safety of a control room.

Hyundai, however, also has another use for Spot, at least in the distant future. In its vision of the metaverse, the robot will act as people’s bodies, eyes, and even hands while exploring places they couldn’t reach. That includes visiting Mars with family and meeting other people who are presumably totally human.

This metaverse version of Spot, however, won’t be like the telepresence robots that are already available today. Spot will be equipped with various sensors that can gather environmental data, like the temperature of a certain object or the strength of a Martian sandstorm. That data can, in turn, be used to let their human controllers feel those exact same events safely on Earth, presuming they’re inside some vehicle or room that can recreate that environment.




Spot is actually just one part of Hyundai’s “metamobility” concept, a concept that includes the things that the company is best known for. Those include self-driving vehicles and other robots that will help humans either go the distance or stay at home while still reaching places. And, of course, Spot will be with humans every step of the way, just like a good robot dog.

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Boston Dynamics Spot robot mirrors Mick Jagger’s dance moves to absolute perfection. Watch the video!





To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the British band’s’Tattoo You’ album engineers at Boston Dynamics programmed the versatile Spot robot to mirror the hip-snaking sorcery of Mick Jagger.

Spot, the dynamic robot developed by Boston Dynamics has more tricks up its sleeve than just the usual chores such as quadruped machines venture out on. This time around the highly acclaimed dog robot moves to the Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit “Start Me Up” to unbelievable perfection. Not only that, the lead singer mimicked by Spot is accompanied by other two Spot robots to emulate the moves of Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts!

This is not the first time Spot has surprised the tech world with its swaggy moves – earlier it twerked to the cover “Uptown Funk” and the classic “Do You Love Me?” Boston Dynamics has piqued the interest in such robotic machines worldwide with such creative initiatives, and we are loving it to the core. This is a clear example of the sophistication robots are capable of as the video shows the near-perfect movement and lip-sync (yes the robot actually does that) replicating the human counterpart. The clip begins with a split-screen having Mick Jagger and the solo Spot robot. Then as the dance moves get groovy the other rock band members enter the frame, mirrored by the other Spot robots.

In the video, the robot can be seen using its long neck and arms to mimic the rockstar’s motion. These dance moves further instill our faith in the flexible and stable nature of the incredible machine that’s already performing a variety of roles – things like jobs at Ford’s factory floor or oil rig inspection at BP. You can even buy one if you want, but the price is mind-numbing $74,500.

Designer: Boston Dynamics and Rolling Stone

Boston Dynamic’s Spot gets an ultra-nimble robotic arm extension, making him the perfect pet and companion

Spot robot, Boston Dynamics’ most acclaimed robot has plenty of tricks up its sleeve and it has become an object of desire for geeks out there. Now the dog has got even more potent at doing a plethora of tasks as it gets a new limb in the form of a functional arm that gives the four-legged companion even more capability to do tasks it had a handicap in earlier. Boston Dynamics said, “Now that Spot has an arm in addition to legs and cameras, it can do mobile manipulation.” That gives it the ability to open doors, tidy up the living room, be your mate when you are skipping ropes, tend to the garden, reach difficult corners, and countless other dexterous tasks possible with that robotic limb.

The robotic dog has been in the limelight ever since it was first released in 2016 – in a way bamboozling people with its advanced robotic capabilities that in a way are eerily similar to a pet dog. Boston Dynamics has been hot property ever since it first propped-up into the scene more than a decade ago. Starting off as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spin-off, Boston Dynamics was bought by Google in 2013, then in 2017 it had a new parent company SoftBank and recently Hyundai Motor Group bought it in 2020. Spot has been the most prized possession in its portfolio – even you can buy one if you have a hefty sum of $74,500 to spare for the love of a robotic pet dog.

Now with the nimble robotic arm extension Spot has become better than ever – ready for the challenges we humans want to throw its way. Boston Dynamics in the future vouches to, “extend Spot’s value for autonomous inspection and data collection.” As one can see in the latest video, Spot can do dexterous tasks that require a stable hand – switching on the grid lights, opening doorknobs, picking up laundry, or even taking up planting tasks in your garden. This gives us a fair idea about the way robotics is going to take shape in the coming decades and the unimaginable dimensions in which human life is going to take profound leaps!

Designer: Boston Dynamics

MIT researchers show how ‘Dr. Spot’ could help diagnose COVID-19

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots have been used in many creative ways, from surveying a Ford plant in Michigan to herding sheep in New Zealand. Earlier this year, the tech company announced Spot was chipping in to help coronavirus patients -- now, we’re...