After helping COVID-19 patients, doing late-night security patrols in factories and joining a Toronto construction team, Boston Dynamics’ Spot robo-dog is now being tested to serve as a security guard for the ruins of Pompeii.
Pompeii, an ancient city in Italy came down crumbling during the Mount Vesuvius eruption in AD 79, which saw the city getting buried under ash. Routine excavations were common in the remains up until 1960, after which, only small-scale excavations have taken place. The area is full of historic relics, and it goes without saying that bad actors want their hands on pieces of history and treasures.
Now, Boston Dynamics is deploying Spot the robo-dog to patrol the area, analyze and collect 3D terrain data and roam through underground tunnels dug by relic thieves to hunt them down (not literally, though that would be cool).
The 3D terrain data will then be used by archeologists to study the remains and analyze any structural changes that take place without human intervention, allowing our knowledge about the area to expand, without archeologists having to regularly visit the site.
“These experiments form part of the broader Smart@POMPEI project of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, which aspires to an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive management of the Park, which makes use of an integrated technological solution, rendering Pompeii a Smart Archaeological Park,” reads the Archaeological Park of Pompeii’s release about the addition of Spot.
Read more about how Spot is making patrolling the remains of Pompeii safer for humans here.
Image credit: Archaeological Park of Pompeii
Source: Archaeological Park of Pompeii
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