‘Meet Sparkles’ Boston Dynamics’ dancing robot dog – Deseret News

Straight out of a science fiction movie, Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics design company, released a video showing one of its robot dogs from the Spot series dancing, garnering over 2 million views in one month.

The video, titled “Meet Sparkles,” features the robot dressed in a cartoon-like blue dog costume named Sparkles.

The caption says, “Spot is meeting another strange dog and making friends through the power of dance. Meet Sparkles!”

The robot executes various complex movements via a dance routine, showcasing its agility and the advancements in robotic technology.

Sparkles dances beside an unadorned version of the robot, which eventually joins in after a playful kiss with Sparkles.

While many comments admire the technology’s ingenuity, others find the display disturbing, describing it as “creepy” and “dystopian.”

According to Boston Dynamics’ website, these robot dogs are designed to “automate sensing and inspection, capture limitless data, and explore without boundaries.” They also enhance safety by operating in hazardous conditions unsuitable for humans.

As previously reported by the Deseret News, a robot dog named Roscoe, part of a bomb squad in Massachusetts, was shot at during a SWAT standoff. Roscoe is part of the Spot series by Boston Dynamics, just like Sparkles.

The robot was controlled remotely by officers as it entered a house where a suspect had barricaded themselves inside.

“We are relieved that the only casualty that day was our robot. It’s a great example of how mobile robots like Spot can be used to save lives,” Boston Dynamics said in a statement, per The Associated Press.

Other recent news shows the military capability of technology like this in a China-Cambodia joint military exercise video, per CCTV Video News Agency, an international Chinese news outlet.

The video shows a robot dog much like Spot being used to infiltrate houses ahead of soldiers and firing a rifle attached to its back.