This robotic 'dog' enforces social distancing

Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is Spot the robot.

A robotic "dog" is helping enforce social-distancing requirements at a popular park in Singapore, said Trevor Mogg at Digital Trends. Spot, a bright-yellow quadrupedal robot designed by Boston Dynamics, is being "steered around the park remotely" and has a built-in speaker that broadcasts a recorded message.

(Courtesy image)

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But the device also has a 360-degree camera for determining crowd levels. The four-legged design has been handling the park's terrain better than other wheeled robots, leading to praise from Singapore officials and viral videos that have shown Spot leaping and sprinting. This is not Spot's first "gig linked to the pandemic." It has also patrolled the halls at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, linking patients to doctors by videoconference to cut the chances of infection.