British researchers are developing a canine automaton, dubbed ‘DogBot’, to assist with tasks around construction sites.
React Robotics is developing a quadruped robotic ‘helper’ that uses machine learning for locomotion, perception and proprioception (awareness of position and movement of the body).
DogBot’s makers claim that the machine, which is not yet available commercially, will be able to undertake tasks in industrial environments such as 3D scanning, managing site logistics, and real-time sensor data acquisition.
Designed with Autodesk Fusion 360, DogBot is powered with a range of Lenovo hardware.
Dr Charles Galambos, chief technology officer and co-founder at React Robotics said: “What we wanted to do was find a way of bringing intelligence into the real world, so [we’re] aiming to build a robotics body for the artificial intelligence revolution that we’ve all seen coming. DogBot is about opening the way to robots that really understand the world and interact with it.”
Robotics firms clearly see potential for a hound-like helper on construction sites, with US-based Boston Dynamics already making its Spot robot commercially available for similar tasts such as 3D scanning.
