Enter Spot, Boston Dynamic's robot dog, launched late last year. The $74,500 USD "agile mobile robot," which can apparently be customized "a wide range" of unnamed applications, can be "adapted for tasks ranging from industrial inspection to entertainment," and works via remote control and autonomy.
Spot the robot dog was recently caught on camera walking around on his lonesome in the middle of the night, and people are having pretty extreme reactions to it.
Check out the dystopia-documenting clip from @bloodtear below.
The image of Spot walking the streets alone has apparently put apocalyptic fear into the hearts of many. "How are multiple episodes of Black Mirror coming true at once?" one user responded to the video.
"Yep, this is how the end begins, thanks for the heads up Black Mirror lol," wrote another.
Meanwhile, others have taken more kindly to the comically uncoordinated hunk of metal. "I hate this but I also kinda wanna sit on top of its back & go for a ride," another user tweeted.
While Spot is hardly the first generation of robotic autonomous dogs, he is one of the first to be available commercially. Thankfully, his price tag is prohibitively steep, so don't expect to see an army of Spots running around your neighbourhood anytime soon. And not to worry, Spot doesn't come installed with any automatic weapons — yet.
Get to know Spot the robot dog better in the extensive unboxing video below, where you can also see some of Twitter's reactions to the — potentially — ominous sign of the times.
everyone yelling telling me he is not cute and will destroy us all. um thats ur opinion!!!! i for one welcome our robot dog overlords. kings!!!!!
— ✨ (@bIoodtear) September 25, 2020
Me: That's a good boy
— A Bonafide Skeleton (@ABonafideSkele1) September 25, 2020
Seemingly everyone else in the replies: REEEE FUTURE TOOL OF OPPRESSION DESTROY DESTROY
They're going to put a gun on this thing in the next five years and make it patrol the street to shoot anyone who doesnt pass it's suspicion check.
— Silver for a better future (@Psyco_Silver) September 25, 2020
In this moment it was analyzing your threat level and determining whether you should live or die pic.twitter.com/Jpo4sF06iO
— coolster420 (@coolster420) September 25, 2020
I love how it scans you, determines you are no threat, and continues on its way in search of it's true target, Sarah Connor.
— Bryan WASH YOUR HANDS! 🧼👏 (@bryanz) September 25, 2020
As someone who greatly values and supports the ongoing advancement of technology and AI as a whole, I believe it would be very foolish to completely rule out their potential to be used for harm if left unchecked. This is both fascinating and alarming.
— dead but delicious (@sweetcarrion) September 25, 2020
Yep cool, very cool, nothing dystopian to see here, nope not at all.
— Vexed Fennec (@vexedfennec) September 25, 2020