Robodog to the rescue: Rotterdam station tests out new four-legged robot

A team of students were spotted at the train station in Rotterdam last week testing out some new technology: a four-legged robot designed to make the lives of police officers a little easier.

Spot the dog charms commuters at Rotterdam Centraal

Kitted out with multiple sensors, flashing lights, and a 360-degree camera, this bright yellow robot was seen roaming around Rotterdam Centraal on November 25, much to the delight of various commuters. 

Programmed by students at TU Delft and Erasmus University, Spot can carry out a number of tasks such as detecting obstacles or conducting inspections in hard-to-reach places, but hasn’t been designed to replace real-life humans.

“The reactions are very positive, because people associate it with a dog,” explains student Maneesh Verma, who notes the only negative comment came from a woman in Amsterdam who loudly proclaimed poor robodog had been “made by the devil.”

Whether you find this little robodog cute or creepy, the tech certainly doesn’t come cheap - Spot currently costs 100.000 euros to build, but programmers say the price is likely to drop in the future as technology like this becomes more commonplace.

Thumb: Antonello Marangi via Shutterstock.