“Spot”, the quadrupedal robot created to control the ruins of Pompeii Photo: AFP
A strange robot that looks like a mixture of dog and insect walks among the ruins of Pompeii, in front of the surprised gaze of the tourists who visit this southern Italian city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius twenty centuries ago.
This robot, called “Stain” and yellow and black, its mission is to access difficult-to-access areas in the ruins, “especially the underground structures where security conditions do not allow employees to enter, such as dangerous and narrow tunnels, “he said Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
By sensing the terrain, Spot can acquire information and alert staff about safety or structural issues, such as those produced when clandestine tunnels are dug, which Zuchtriegel says “unfortunately it continues to happen in this area”.
The archaeological site where the ruins are located has an area of 44 hectares, south of Naples, and in it is the city that was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 BC. c.
Spot, can signal imperfections of the ground and structures, to avoid landslides. Photo: AFP
Spo weighs 70 kilos and is about the size of a golden retriever. It is remotely controlled by a tablet and is better equipped than a person to monitor certain areas of the park.
The robot was built by the American company BostonDynamics, specializing in robotics, including equipment for military use. The company page states that Spot can be used in the industry, construction, mining and manufacturing, among other sectors, to carry out inspections and collect data.
Spot’s movements are controlled by a tablet by Valerio Brunelli, employee of Leica Geosystem, the company that manages the missions of Robotic exploration inside Pompeii.
Brunelli remains a few meters from the robot when it moves, despite the robot is able to avoid any obstacle, but the operator prefers to be on the lookout: “Nobody wants to get their 70 kilos of weight on one foot,” he jokes.
Tourists watch “Spot”, the robot that patrols and controls underground structures and passages in the ruins of Pompeii. Photo: AFP
“Spot is a technology fusion which allows a robot to explore complicated places, like this one, “explains Brunelli, citing his ability to record the area it travels in 3D.
But although the robot has become the mascot of tourists, it is still in the testing phase and the managers of the restaurant have not yet decided whether or not to buy Spot, the price of which amounts to $ 75,000.
“I am confident that Pompeii will buy it, it’s a leap into the future for a millenary sitesays Brunelli.
Source: Clarin
