WTF?! Domino's Pizza wants to solve a very specific problem: getting pizza to customers on a beach and then protecting it from seagulls. The somewhat unorthodox solution is to use Boston Dynamics' quadrupedal robot, Spot, which will act as both delivery service and guard dog.
Boston Dynamics' Spot the dog robot has had many careers: bomb disposal expert, police officer, dancer, industrial inspector, cheerleader, Solid Snake impersonator, etc.
In the UK seaside town of Eastbourne, Domino's is using a version of the machine, called Domidog, that has been modified so it can navigate sandy environments – a tricky task for a four-legged robot.
Spot utilizes its array of sensors, cameras, and autonomous navigation to deliver a freshly cooked pizza from the local store to customers on the beach, avoiding the crowds and other obstacles.
Domino's Pinpoint Delivery option lets customers set a precise location for their pizza delivery. A worker loads the latitude/longitude (and a safety geofence) into Spot's "Scout" mission tablet and straps the insulated pizza pod to its back. The robot then sets off on its journey, with a remote supervisor watching proceedings from a nearby shaded tent – UK law still requires line-of-sight for public trials.
Customers receive a push alert when Domidog is near. Pressing "Signal Driver" will set off a strobing color pattern so the robot (or its supervisor) can spot the person in the crowd.
According to the restaurant chain, Spot's job doesn't end with the delivery of the food. The robot will hang around and guard against the scourge of British seasides: seagulls. These huge and often aggressive birds are notorious for swooping out of the air and stealing food directly from people's hands – something this writer can attest to.
Although Spot has been used in the military and we've seen similar robots carrying weaponry, Domidog's method of protecting pizza from the gulls is a humane one: waving its arm attachment at the birds should they get too close. It will stay in this sentry mode for a couple of minutes, which will hopefully send a threatening message to the seagulls.
Spot remains Boston Dynamics' flagship platform for industrial inspection, safety, and R&D. The base unit costs around $75,000. With extras such as the $30,000 arm and $18,000 to $35,000 sensor payloads, a fully loaded unit can fall into the $110,000 to $150,000 range. For a much cheaper robot, Unitree's flipping, fighting, and conversational R1 humanoid is "just" $5,900.