Why “Spot” the Mobile Robot is Made for Manufacturing with Boston Dynamics’ Michael Perry

You’ve seen the viral videos of Spot, Boston Dynamics’ famous robotic dog, dancing to your favorite tunes, but did you know that this canine-inspired mobile robot has tons of practical applications in manufacturing too? Michael Perry, VP of Business Development at Boston Dynamics, shares how Spot is helping manufacturers optimize their processes and improve their safety standards in this week’s interview.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Michael shares some insights into his background and how he came to work with robots. He explains how and why Spot was created and what more mobile robots in the industry could mean for safety, processes, and efficiency. He also gives us a window into where he thinks the future of mobile robots is heading.

Make sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

In this episode, find out:

• The potential use cases for mobile robots
• The benefits of using mobile robots in manufacturing and other industries
• Why a great product is key to a great business
• How Boston Dynamics created Spot the robot dancing dog
• How robots can improve safety and processes
• What the future of mobile robots will look like

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “With Boston Dynamics, we've gone abroad much faster than a typical start-up would because we see a lot of the value that the international ecosystem of customers and partners are able to provide to the technology.”
• “The area that's coming next for the robot is this notion of mobile manipulation. And so, where the robots not just sensing the world, but sensing the world and physically interacting with it.”
• “I think that it’s going to be a game-changer for the technology.”

Links & mentions:

• Boston Dynamics, a robotics design company born out of MIT that also has application expertise in manufacturing, including case studies at Ford, Merck, and many others
• Might Squirrel Brewing Co., a Waltham, MA brewery complete with food trucks and a climbing wall

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.