Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • BBC Science Focus Magazine

    RESCUE BOTS

    Oct 12, 2023 5 minutes

    SF FEATURE RESCUE BOTS

    SEND IN THE 'DOGS'

    SPOT, BOSTON DYNAMICS

    Over 1,000 of these yellow robots, dubbed Spot, are already patrolling factories and power plants. And now the New York City Fire Department is starting to use the dog-like devices for searchandrescue missions. In April 2023, it was reported that a Spot had been sent in to survey the remains of a collapsed car park that was considered too unstable for fire crews to enter.

    Developed by Boston Dynamics, a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Spot can access places people can’t get to, send back video footage, identify hazards, carry up to 14kg (30lbs) and, when fitted with an add-on ‘arm’, open doors and flip switches.

    Not everyone has been convinced of Spot’s suitability for work with the emergency services, however. In 2020, the New York City Police Department started testing Spot, but cancelled its arrangement with Boston Dynamics following a

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from BBC Science Focus Magazine

    BBC Science Focus Magazine2 min read
    Mini Organs Grown From Unborn Babies Mark A Breakthrough In Prenatal Medicine
    A pioneering approach is enabling scientists to monitor human development during the latter stages of pregnancy. By growing miniature organs – known as organoids – from stem cell samples collected during an active pregnancy, scientists can now open t
    BBC Science Focus Magazine8 min read
    The Eyes That Watch The Sky
    It's a rather delicious irony that one of the most valuable things to come out of the space programme wasn't the ability to look into the deepest regions of the Universe, but to look back at Earth; to see our world as a beautiful disc of white clouds
    BBC Science Focus Magazine1 min readDiet & Nutrition
    Proffee: Should I Be Adding Protein To My Coffee?
    TikTokkers have been mixing protein powder into their coffee as a convenient way to increase their protein intake, a combination that has become known as ‘proffee’. It isn't necessarily harmful, but there are a few factors to consider. Firstly, prote

    Related Books & Audiobooks