This Robot Dog 'Spots' Grave Robbers To Protect Ancient Italian City Of Pompeii

Spot is a robot guard dog capable of inspecting even the smallest spaces in complete safety, gathering and recording data useful for the study and planning of interventions.

Spot is a quadruped robot made by Boston Dynamics which can operate on different types of terrain with agility and autonomy, allowing the automation of routine inspection activities and the collection of data in a safe manner. | Credit: Archaeological Park of Pompeii

New Delhi: A quadruped robot named 'Spot' has been enlisted by Italy's Archaeological Park of Pompeii to protect archaeological areas and structures of the ancient Italian city of Pompeii. 

Spot is a robot guard dog capable of inspecting even the smallest spaces in complete safety, gathering and recording data useful for the study and planning of interventions. Also, one of the latest monitoring operations of the archaeological structures was carried out with the help of the robot dog, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii said on its website. 

How Does The Robot Dog Work?

Spot is a quadruped robot made by US-based robotics design company Boston Dynamics which can operate on different types of terrain with agility and autonomy, allowing the automation of routine inspection activities and the collection of data in a safe manner. Illegal excavators trying to get their hands at artefacts often make underground tunnels. The robot dog will be tested for use in underground tunnels made by tomb raiders, who for years made a fortune by digging their way into the ruins and stealing relics to sell on to art traffickers around the world. 

"Often the safety conditions within the tunnels dug by grave robbers are extremely precarious, as a consequence of which the use of a robot could signify a breakthrough that would allow us to proceed with greater speed and in total safety," the website quoted Director General Gabriel Zuchtriegel as saying. 

What Is The Objective Of Using The Robot Dog?

The objective of using innovative technological solutions like the robot dog is to improve the quality of monitoring of the existing areas, and to increase knowledge of the state of progress of the works in the areas undergoing recovery or restoration. All this will help manage the safety of the site, and that of the workers, according to Pompeii's Archaeological Park.

Zuchtriegel also said that technological advances in the world of robotics, in the form of artificial intelligence and so-called autonomous systems, have produced solutions and innovations typically associated with the industrial and manufacturing world, but which until now have not found an application within archaeological sites due to the heterogeneity of environmental conditions, and the size of the site. "Today, thanks to collaboration with high-tech companies and in the wake of these successful experiments, we wish to test the use of these robots in the underground tunnels that were made by illegal excavators and which we are uncovering in the area around Pompeii, as part of a memorandum of understanding with the Public Prosecutor's Office of Torre Annunziata, led by Nunzio Fragliasso," Zuchtriegel added.

What Are The Features Of Spot?

The robot dog is equipped with two modes of functionality, namely Leica BLK ARC, and Spot CAM+ sensor. Leica BLK ARC is a laser scanner made for autonomous robots.  The flying laser scanner can autonomously conduct 3D scans.

Spot can climb stairs, and will be on-site at night when there are no tourists around. In this way, the robot can provide a live feed to human staff members while they are at home. The robot can map its environment, and sense and avoid obstacles, according to a report by The Daily Mail.

Spot can also undertake hazardous tasks in a variety of inhospitable environments such as nuclear plants, offshore oil fields, and construction sites.

In 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had threatened to add Pompeii to a list of world heritage sites in peril unless Italian authorities improved its preservation. As a result, a project called Smart@POMPEI was started. 

The innovative experiments form a part of the Smart@POMPEI project of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, which aspires to an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive management of the Park, which makes use of an integrated technological solution. This has rendered Pompeii a Smart Archaeological Park.

Boston Dynamics had announced the robot dog in 2016. Spot was under development for years,and was released in June 2020 for $75,000 (56,85,112.50 INR). 

The robot dog can also be used to inspect rocket launch sites, as demonstrated by SpaceX, and is being deployed in the French Army.