Robot dog advocates for rights at the state house

BOSTON – Word got out around the State House there was a dog outside of the House of Representatives, so as you can imagine there was a big rush to pet the pup.

But this wasn’t any ole dog. This was Spot the robot dog. And Spot wasn’t there to comfort legislators during budget season. It was there to advocate for robots’ rights.

“We are concerned with people who have access to this technology and then who might weaponize it in a way that poses a public safety hazard, but also really damages the reputation of the robotics industry, that the robots really are here to help people,” said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and government at Boston Dynamics. 

Boston Dynamics created Spot. The company has customers who use Spot for things like security and safety in manufacturing. Spot can run autonomously, but was under the control of a field applications specialist while in the building.

The Massachusetts State have a Spot. What Boston Dynamics doesn’t want is the public to have access to creations like a flame-throwing robot dog, which made headlines this week. The company behind it advertises the dog as a tool to help get rid of weeds or even prevent wildfires. Spot’s creators say this kind of access can be dangerous.

“Every time somebody weaponizes or offers for sale something that is a threatening, robot product, whether it’s a flamethrower or a gun or an explosive, it really does harm to the industry,” said Schulman. “It creates a public safety hazard. So the legislation really is intended to curtail that.”

Spot showed off during its visit, handing out informational fliers, even doing a dance move or two with staffers.

“Its fun, and when I heard that we were going to have the robot Spot here today, I ran here,” said legislative aid Dina Abreu. 

With the fun and photos came discussion about emerging technologies, ethical responsibilities and regulations.