ROBO-DOG 1

Robo-dog

Dylan Swartzentruber

October 12, 2019

State College of Florida: Bradenton Campus

Author Note

This paper was prepared for Written Communications I (ENC 1101), taught by Professor
Bojanowski.
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Robo-Dog

There is a new type of robot joining the work force. Boston Dynamics, a company

famous for their eerily human-like robot models, is beginning to put one of their quadruped

robots, Spot, on the market. With a company who has been trying to perfect this robot since

1992, letting businesses start to use the robot will be the start of an era in which humans work

intimately with advanced machines. (Simon, 2019). Boston Dynamics is looking to start with

energy companies for spot to inspect infrastructure or Cirque du Soleil as an entertainer (Simon,

2019.) This advancement in robotic technology was reported via national news sources.

Wired (2019) is an online news magazine, specializing in sciences, ranging from business

to general science, to cybersecurity. They generally appeal towards educated individuals or those

who have a high interest in technology, and the news is delivered via an online news article.

IEEE Spectrum (2019) is an online news magazine, specializing in science, engineering, and

technology. Their main audience are technology enthusiasts and businessmen/women who

explore tech-driven industries. Their articles are delivered online to said audience.

When coming across stories such as this, it seems common that one would expect that

two technology-focused news sources would provide similar information and coverage of Boston

Dynamics’ Spot. However, when looking at the similarities in coverage of the specs and features

of Spot, statements given by Boston Dynamics personnel, and the ability to remain neutral,

which source is considered more effective, Wired or IEEE Spectrum?

Both news articles should provide information about the robot, as well as describe

potential uses and the cost for said robot. Wired and IEEE Spectrum both deliver general

information regarding the robot, including how it works and for price, both use the term “as

much as a luxury car.” However, Wired describes more potential uses for Spot. In terms of uses,
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IEEE Spectrum provides a statement from Vice President of Boston Dynamics, Michael Perry,

saying that Spot will “either have a compelling use case or a development team that we believe

can do something interesting with the robot.” (Guizzo, 2019). While this is a statement from a

member of the company, it doesn’t give the reader any type of idea for what Spot’s potential

could be used for. Wired, on the other hand, provides different potential uses for Spot, including

“energy companies…who might want Spot to inspect infrastructure,” (Simon, 2019) and “Cirque

du Soleil, which is exploring Spot’s potential as an entertainer.” (Simon, 2019). This is more

specific and allows the reader to visualize the quadruped robot being used in these situations. In

terms of specs, IEEE Spectrum does a better job at providing detailed information regarding how

the robot works and how it moves. Wired provides some specs about how it moves, talking about

how it “builds a 3d map of the area with a 360-degree camera” (Simon, 2019). While brief, the

article never goes in depth of how Spot moves and how it is controlled, as well as other

information regarding the robot. IEEE Spectrum has a section titled “what can Spot do?” where it

discusses many specs of the robot. The article discusses how it moves around obstacles using the

“five sensors on every side of its body,” as well as how its legs are “powered by 12 custom

motors…with a top speed of 1.6 meters per second.” (Guizzo, 2019). This information lets

readers and even potential buyers know how Spot works and could influence the use for the

robot in a business environment. Overall, while Wired gives better use examples for Spot, IEEE

Spectrum delivers with facts and information on the specifications of the robot, which can help

companies influence their decision to invent in one.

In addition, in the comparison between the two articles, credibility is an important factor

in determining which article is more effective. In the Wired article, you hear statements from

three different people: Marc Raibert, CEO of Boston Dynamics, Michael Perry, Vice President
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of Boston Dynamics, and Kelly Darling, a roboticist at MIT. Several statements in the Wired

article talk about how they are marketing the robot rather than what it’s all about. VP Michael

Perry says “We’re not putting this on Amazon and saying ‘buy this’,” and when mentioning how

Spot is controlled, he says “it’s not like you can put the robot in a space and say, OK, now scan

everything…that contradicts a lot of people’s expectations, especially after seeing some of our

YouTube videos.” (Simon, 2019). CEO Marc Raibert gave a statement regarding future models

of Spot, saying “I could easily imagine us designing a variant on Spot that is larger and stronger,

like you might find outdoors, more like a bulldozer, if it turned out there was enough interest in

that.” (Simon, 2019). MIT roboticist Kelly Darling gave a statement regarding how people treat

the robot, saying “People will often name or talk to the robots they work with, even though they

know they are just machines…Spot has such a biologically inspired design that it’s hard to

imagine people won’t treat it a little bit like a pet.” (Simon, 2019.) These statements are credible,

as they are from personnel from Boston Dynamics, as well as a person who specializes in

robotics from MIT. While IEEE Spectrum only provides statements from Marc Raibert and

Michael Perry, there is a significant amount of statements compared to Wired. When discussing

how Spot controls, Raibert gives more information regarding controls, saying “it takes 15

seconds…you don’t really see what that is like until you’re operating the joystick and you go

over a box and you don’t have to do anything.” (Guizzo, 2019). Michael Perry provided a clearer

aspect on price, saying “the program lease will be less than the price of a car—but how nice a car

will depend on the number of spots released and how long the customer will be leasing the

robot.” (Guizzo, 2019). Also, when talking about usability and being able to develop programs

for the robot, Perry says “we made it as plug and play as possible in terms of how third-party

software integrates into Spot’s system.” (Guizzo, 2019). Overall, While Wired had one more
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person in their list of individuals who made statements, IEEE Spectrum provided better

statements to clarify the needs, and features that Spot delivers to businesses.

Moreover, with any news article, it isn’t rare to see some form of bias and emotion. Both

articles can be as emotional as talking about a robot can be, however both articles radiate an

optimistic point of view. Wired mentions how this robot can “start an era in which humans work

more intimately with advanced machines”, as well as a statement from Marc Raibert, saying “It’s

not like they can do every possible thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re not really good at some

other things.” (Simon, 2019). IEEE Spectrum shares a statement from Raibert as well, stating

“It’s really a milestone for us going from robots that work in the lab to these that are hardened

for work out in the field.” (Guizzo, 2019). Overall, both articles deliver an optimistic approach

towards the topic, and show how far Boston Dynamics has come since it was started in 1992.

Both articles similarly give an urge of excitement and wonder to the reader as he/she thinks

about how leasing these robots will affect how work is done in the future.

In conclusion, after a critical analysis of news articles from Wired and IEEE Spectrum,

the authors, Simon and Guizzo, are both great at covering this specific story regarding Boston

Dynamics’ new robot, Spot. However, when it boils down to facts, specifications, credibility,

and an optimistic point of view, IEEE Spectrum shines above Wired as a more efficient news

source to cover the topic for any business personnel who may be interested in purchasing one, or

for any tech-savvy enthusiasts who wonder how this will shape the industry in the future.
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References

Guizzo, E. (2019, September 24). Boston Dynamics’ spot robot dog goes on sale. IEEE

Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-

robots/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-dog-goes-on-sale

Simon, M. (2019, September 24). Spot, the internet’s wildest 4-legged robot, is finally here.

Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/spot-boston-dynamics/