Boston Dynamics’ Spot Has A Mini-Me That’s Affordable And Can Pick Up New Tricks

By Mikelle Leow, 22 Oct 2020

Image via Petoi

You’ve met Spot; now meet… er, its dot.

Boston Dynamics’ well-meaning robot dog has struck terror in some people’s hearts, especially those who can’t shake away the evil, lookalike hounds from Black Mirror’s Metalhead episode. There really isn’t much to fear about Spot, though—it’s only here to help with routine inspections and carrying heavyweight objects.

Thankfully, there’s now a miniature robot pet version that those with AI trust issues can personally train to do good. The palm-sized ‘Bittle’, designed by robotics firm Petoi, takes inspiration from Spot’s appearance but is made for a mass audience with a comparably affordable price of US$250.

Bittle starts out as a plastic 3D puzzle that you can put together with or without its head and tail, with the latter structure closely resembling that of Spot. After that, it can spring to life through the power vested in it by the open-source AI program Arduino, being able to walk, run, jump, and climb up steps both adorably and effortlessly.

The tiny robot can detect nearby obstacles with the help of a built-in infrared sensor and a camera, but above that, you can train it to perform new tricks via its code in the GitHub repository. In videos posted by the company, Bittle can be seen tracking a ball, walking across a puddled floor, and more.

Trotting in the footsteps of its muse, the itty Bittle is able to carry items of up to twice its weight, totaling to a pound’s worth of loads. That’s barely enough weight to carry out world domination plans, one would hope, so worry not.

The teeny robot dog can be preordered here.