Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics’ Spot embarks on public safety missions

Spot, a quadruped robot developed by Boston Dynamics Inc., will aid defense and safety agencies in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia to assist in public safety, expanding its presence across the globe and sectors.

EPE Trusted to Protect (EPE), an Australian veteran-owned company, announced in a statement on Thursday that it will deploy the advanced public safety Spot package to missions of defense, public safety and first responder agencies in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia under a partnership agreement forged with Boston Dynamics.

For the safety inspection mission, the four-legged robot by the US mobile robot leader will enter hazardous areas first to assess potentially dangerous scenarios.

At its operator’s commands, Spot will autonomously navigate complex environments.

Equipped with a self-righting feature, the Boston Dynamics robot can recover from falls, while its arm manipulation transforms Spot into more than just a surveillance platform.

The quadruped robot has already assisted law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency responders in the US and has proven excellent safety surveillance and protection capabilities.

Spot is also deployed to car-manufacturing plants of South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Co.  

As Hyundai Motor Group’s US robotics unit, Boston Dynamics and the auto giant are also actively expanding their robotics collaboration in the manufacturing sector.

EPE provides technologies and solutions to reduce risks to personnel and emergency responders and ensure their safe operation in critical missions with technologies throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Indo-Pacific region.

Write to Sookyung Seo at skseo@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.