Ford Unleashes Pair of Boston Dynamics Robot Dogs for Factory Use - Motor Trend

Ford reached out and offered constructive criticism of this clearly satirical article, including a request that we take it down. In response, we addressed some factual errors and made clearer the differences between these totally friendly, safety-vetted, and not at all bloodthirsty Boston Dynamics [BD] robots for the factory floor and BD's similar robots intended for military use.

As more and more manufacturing is automated by sophisticated robots and clever software-driven efficiencies, the humans who have traditionally screwed together new cars and trucks have become understandably worried about losing their livelihoods to machines. Amidst this concern, we bet that few, if any, laborers ever worried about the threat of mechanized canines. Well, Ford now has those, and it's officially time to start freaking out. Yes, even you, non-assembly-line workers.

Thanks to YouTube clips of Boston Dynamics' four-legged demon machines, we all should be acutely terrified of these Terminator-style quadrupeds. Have you ever been chased by a mean dog? Now, imagine that scenario with a robotic dog—one that could in theory seek you out using lasers and heat tracing to pursue you tirelessly over any terrain. That Ford is openly bragging about its dog-like robots, which are sourced from Boston Dynamics and sadistically named "Fluffy" and "Spot," is strange enough. That Fluffy and Spot apparently serve any purpose outside of humankind's extinction is even stranger.

Ford claims its dog-tastic duo is sourced from Boston Dynamics' non-military (and therefore less scary, heat-seeking, or whatever) line of robodogs. The supposedly benign fidos are being deployed in the Van Dyke transmission plant near Detroit, Mich., to "scan" the factory with lasers. As the automaker puts it: "These robots can be deployed into tough-to-reach areas within the plant to scan the area with laser scanners and high-definition cameras, collecting data used to retool plants, saving Ford engineers time and money."

Sure, okay. We have a few questions, starting with why these robots need to be legged. Couldn't, say, a Roomba with a laser scanner bolted to it have sufficed? Or, you know, a human being? What areas of the Van Dyke plant are so claustrophobic that a robotic dog can fit, but a person or drone—or any other less terrifying machine—can not?

Ford says the robot dogs can fit under things like conveyer belts and venture into areas with fumes and such to test the air and deem it safe for human habitation. The automaker also notes it all comes down to time. Apparently, the process of documenting the factory used to take a lot of time—up to two weeks, in fact—and required a surveying crew with a tripod scanner to do the work. All the while costing Ford lots of money. The Blue Oval decided leasing two "70-pound quadruped robots with distinctly dog-like mobility" would speed that process up a bit, while also reducing costs.

Each bot can move at speeds of up to 3 mph for as long as two hours at a time before needing a recharge. Navigation comes courtesy of five cameras, which allow the robots to laser-scan the Van Dyke plant's insides to help Ford update its three-dimensional models of the facility ahead of a planned retooling. Remember our Roomba question? Well, it looks as though Ford thought of that. Fluffy and Spot are capable of mounting a wheeled autonomous bot dubbed the "Scouter," which the automaker claims "glides smoothly up and down the aisles of the plant, allowing Fluffy to conserve battery power until it's time to get to work" scanning on its own four legs.

As if to try and ease everyone's assured unease at these terror twins, Ford points to the dogs' yellow paint as a positive—the duo is "easily recognizable." That's good, because who wouldn't want to quickly identify the bright yellow robot dog bearing down on them under the auspices of a "building scan"? The dogs also have cute stickers that read "service dog, do not pet," and Ford released photos of Fluffy laying in a dog bed with a bone nearby. Sure, Fluffy doesn't have a mouth (yet), but he's roaming a transmission factory—how long before it figures out how to weld some sharp gears to some solenoid-powered mandibles and start chomping? Surely, we jest.

If our worst fears come true, then a good kick will leave these dogs stuck on their sides, right? Wrong. Both Fluffy and Spot can get up after a fall, and Ford says they shouldn't be kicked or touched, anyway, and that they're programmed to stay well clear of—and cause no harm to—humans. They're also capable of maneuvering up steps and 30-degree inclines. Each has three "operational gaits," too: a walk; an "amble," for uneven surfaces; and a "special speed for stairs." The dogs can also crouch, stretch, and sit. Fluffy and Spot are coming for you first, then they'll move onto the rest of us.

Ford notes that Fluffy and Spot are controlled remotely via a tablet from up to 50 meters away. Anyone who has seen the Terminator or Matrix movies knows that it's only a matter of time until the machines figure out how to break those chains and rise up against us. Is the Ford Motor Company effectively Skynet? Are our tinfoil hats too tight today? Maybe, but to those factory workers at Ford's Van Dyke facility, we say this: Run. Forget saving your jobs—although Ford raves about how Fluffy "should really be valued for his work and tenacity"—save yourselves, before Fluffy becomes sentient.

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Ford Unleashes Pair of Boston Dynamics Robot Dogs for Factory Use - Motor Trend
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