Possibly the beginning of a tradition we’ll one day live to regret
Robots are the future. Whether they will live up to their names and be our servants or simply do what every post-apocalyptic movie says they’ll do and take over the world, they are definitely the direction we’re heading in, technology-wise.
Stay with me here, but in the meanwhile, dogs have been man’s best friend for thousands of years, ever since we domesticated one of our biggest predators. And while dog fights are utterly immoral and completely illegal, this next one is going to be a hoot. Read on to find out what happens when a dog scolds robot for stopping on top of a handicapped space.
Yeah, it’s time for a filler article again, as the Android’s co-founder’s dog Cosmo picked a fight with the rejected marine prototype of a combat pack mule/dog nicknamed Spot. Sure, the video is completely pointless, and without a little context it’s even more so, but I guess you could say it’s 2 minutes well wasted.
Ok, now for the context. Remember that freaky-looking four-legged robot that was being developed for the United States Marines? Well, about a month back, both Spot and its big brother LS3 were rejected by the Marines for one simple reason – they were too noisy.
I say ‘fair enough’, since causing a large amount of noise during field missions is pretty much equal to getting yourself killed. So, the contract with the Marines now over, Spot and LS3 went back home to be tinkered with by whoever had the authorization and felt like it.
The people behind both prototypes are Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Google’s and Android’s parent company, Alphabet. Meanwhile, Andy Rubin, Android’s co-founder, was also running Google’s division of robotics until 2014. He also happens to be the owner of Cosmo, the world’s best robot-barking dog.
As Andy decided to take Spot, also known as Big Dog in the parking lot for a spin, he also brought Cosmo along for the ride. Realizing the potential of what he had in the parking lot – the world’s first animal-robot dog fight, Andy decided to start some beef between the two. It didn’t work until Spot stopped over a handicapped parking… spot.
As Andy himself says in the video,
C’mon, take him, dog! Fido versus Big Dog! No, get the robot! Get the robot!
As soon as Spot got on the handicapped space, Cosmo started berating him and didn’t stop until roughly two minutes later. Now that you have context for the video, please enjoy a terrier barking at a robotic dog.
Image source: YouTube
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