Boston Dynamics has released a 24-second teaser of its latest SpotMini robot that is sleeker and more agile than any of the company's previous creations. The streamlined quadruped is clad in a sleek yellow casing and lacks the somewhat creepy giraffe's neck and sheep's head manipulator of the previous SpotMini unveiled in 2016, and sports some smooth moves that are uncannily lifelike.
Boston Dynamics, now a subsidiary of Japanese telecom firm SoftBank, presented the new SpotMini to the public in its characteristic low-key fashion. The brief YouTube video shows the streamlined robot trotting onto the screen, making a very canine play crouch as it seems to inspect the camera, before trotting around the corner with the caption "Coming soon" fading in.
Other than this, there was no additional information released, though the resemblance between the new SpotMini and the previous generation is obvious, except for the removal of the manipulator arm. If this is a more refined version with better mechanics and algorithms, there don't seem to be any radical redesigns. Based on the earlier mark, the SpotMini should stand around 84 cm (33 in) high and weigh about 30 kg (66 lb) and have an autonomous battery source, electric actuators, 3D vision, and 17 joints.
Whether it can handle banana peels and unsympathetic coworkers with as much grace as its elder sibling (pictured above) remains to be seen, however.
The video below shows the new SpotMini taking its first bow.
Source: Boston Dynamics