Spot can do a lot of things, and now he can do backflips. I don't think Simone Biles has anything to worry about just yet, but it's a breakthrough in robotics.
Why would a robot dog need to do gymnastics? Their clients don't need it. People who watch videos on the internet do, but that's not worth the research dollars. Robotics engineer Arun Kumar explains that a backflip requires precise abilities that are useful in the robot being able to recover when it trips or someone collides with it, and also tests the limits of its many motors. As you can see, doing a backflip takes lots of practice for a robot, just like it does for humans. The eeriest part is how practice makes perfect for a robot. They didn't have to tweak the hardware or software after every unsuccessful attempt. Instead, the artificial intelligence inside Spot learned by positive reinforcement, meaning it gets a reward when it performs well. Just like training a real dog. -via Geeks Are Sexy