A robot dog is the new watchman of the ruins of Pompeii

A stranger robot that looks like a mixture of dog and insect walks through the ruins of Pompeiibefore the surprised look of the tourists who visit this city in southern Italy destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius twenty centuries ago.

This robot, called Spot and yellow and black in color, has the mission of accessing difficult-to-access areas of the ruins, “especially underground structures where security conditions do not allow employees to enter, such as dangerous and narrow tunnels” Gabriel Zuchtriegel told AFP.

When surveying the ground, Spot can capture information and alert staff to security issues or structural, such as those produced when clandestine tunnels are excavated, something that Zuchtriegel says “unfortunately continues to happen in this area.”

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The archaeological site where the ruins are found covers an area of ​​44 hectares, south of Naples, and it contains the town that was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 BC. c.

Spot – which weighs 70 kilos and is the size of a Golden Retriever – is controlled remotely by a tablet and is better equipped than a person to supervise some areas of the park.

A $70,000 robot

The device was conceived by the American company Boston Dynamics, specialized in robotics, including equipment for military use.

The company page states that Spot can be used in industry, construction, mining and manufacturing, among other sectors, to carry out inspections and collect data.

Spot’s movements are controlled by a tablet operated by Valerio Brunelli, an employee of Leica Geosystem, the company that manages the robot’s exploration missions inside Pompeii.

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Brunelli stays a few meters from the robot when it moves, even though the robot is able to avoid any obstacle, but the operator prefers to stay alert.

“Nobody wants to receive their 70 kilos of weight on one foot,” he says jokingly.

“Spot is an amalgamation of technology that allows a robot to be able to explore complicated places, like this one,” explains Brunelli, citing its capabilities to record the area it travels in 3D.

But despite the fact that the robot has become the mascot of tourists, still on trial and the venue’s managers have yet to make a decision on whether or not to buy Spot, whose price stands at $75,000.

“I am confident that Pompeii is going to buy it, it is a leap into the future for an ancient site,” says Brunelli.

Source: Elcomercio

James

I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years and have written for various news outlets. I currently work as an author at 24 News Recorder, mostly covering entertainment news. I have a keen interest in the industry and enjoy writing about the latest news and gossip. I am also a member of the National Association of Journalists.