Hyundai Acquires Boston Dynamics, Company Most Famous For Robot Police Dogs (vice.com) 84
Boston Dynamics has been purchased by Hyundai in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. According to Motherboard, the deal "sees Hyundai assume an 80 percent controlling stake in the robot company. Softbank will retain a 20 percent stake." From the report: It is hard to tell what Hyundai wants out of Boston Dynamics from the press release, which is laden with technobabble. Robots in car manufacturing are nothing new, but Hyundai says the acquisition is "another major step toward its strategic transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider" such as "autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI), Urban Air Mobility (UAM), smart factories and robots," which seems to speak to the company's ambitions beyond car manufacturing. Hyundai says it hopes to "develop advanced technologies that enhance people's lives and promote safety, thereby realizing the progress for humanity."
Apparently, the "progress of humanity" means a lot less of it. To celebrate the purchase, Hyundai released a bizarre hype video featuring a seeing-eye robot dog, a nurse robot dog with a tablet mounted on its head that allows the patient to nod at a doctor who is somewhere else, and a teen dancing with a robot in the street. In other words, Hyundai envisions a lonely future in which social cohesion between humans has broken down and robots are our only friends. That's all bad enough, but why anyone would want a seeing eye robot dog instead of a real dog is beyond comprehension.
Apparently, the "progress of humanity" means a lot less of it. To celebrate the purchase, Hyundai released a bizarre hype video featuring a seeing-eye robot dog, a nurse robot dog with a tablet mounted on its head that allows the patient to nod at a doctor who is somewhere else, and a teen dancing with a robot in the street. In other words, Hyundai envisions a lonely future in which social cohesion between humans has broken down and robots are our only friends. That's all bad enough, but why anyone would want a seeing eye robot dog instead of a real dog is beyond comprehension.
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To be fair, every time they get sold thay also get bought. So there's that.
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Exec know that for their company to succeed and grow, it needs to invest into R&D. However the same Execs don't want to pay for R&D projects that don't 1 to 1 equate to a profitable venture.
A lot of people and unfortunately is it often the one paying the bills often have a little understanding of Science (they may know Technology, Engineering and Math though). Real Science is often messy and may not lead to a physical or marketable product. And unlike how TV and Movies portrait the scientist, the p
Boston Dynamics (Score:5, Interesting)
A company that is good at raising money to do cool engineering projects that might (or might not) be practical.
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A company that is good at raising money to do cool engineering projects that might (or might not) be practical.
But, they are practical, just really far ahead of their time. These guys have done more to drive innovation in this realm than every other company put together. And, I'm serious when I say that. I remember when the Segway came out and it was overhyped and "ahead of its time", but ultimately people don't want to look like dorky mall cops when they're about town. I don't see this company in the same way. I really think that their robots or at least the stuff they've developed will be commonplace someday
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This is ahead of its time in the same way Blackberry was ahead of its time in the 90s. They just needed for the technology to arrive to make it practical.
In the sense of Boston Dynamics, they just need better batteries, and someone who is really good at finding practical applications for their stuff.
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btw, it's kind of weird that electric scooters have basically taken over the role that Segway wanted to fill. I'm not sure what to think about that, except that scooters are way cheaper.
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btw, it's kind of weird that electric scooters have basically taken over the role that Segway wanted to fill. I'm not sure what to think about that, except that scooters are way cheaper.
Yeah, way cheaper and not dorky. I really think that 99% of the issue with segways is that you can't ride one without looking like an absolute dork.
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you can't ride one without looking like an absolute dork.
The people who say that are usually people who can't afford one. Scooters aren't any better.
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I feel like if Amazon saw them too far away from getting something useful, they're quite a ways off of being really useful.
Amazon seems like a good fit for what they're doing and has money.
Robotic nav dogs are a great idea! (Score:4, Insightful)
"but why anyone would want a seeing eye robot dog instead of a real dog is beyond comprehension."
Beyond WHOSE comprehension? I understand the editors just toss off enough content to get paid but failure to think shit through is a very stupid look earning increasing scorn and contempt both of you ignore.
Assitance animals require training, rest, veterinary care and replacement. They cannot communicat in language nor can their sensors handoff to worn sensors. Dogs are just smart meat. Robots can see more, hear more, retain all, learn collectively and otherwise surpass meatpets. They can precede owners to signal intent and secure paths of travel. They don't need to shit or piss.
Re:Robotic nav dogs are a great idea! (Score:4, Interesting)
Guide dogs also bring companionship. Try that with a robot. Guide dogs don't cost $74k.
Technology will eventually make guide dogs redundant, but I doubt that guide dogs will ever be supplanted by robot "dogs".
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Any dog brings companionship — even the dumb ones that are untrainable. But the latter can't be seeing eye dogs.
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Guide dogs also bring companionship. Try that with a robot. Guide dogs don't cost $74k.
Technology will eventually make guide dogs redundant, but I doubt that guide dogs will ever be supplanted by robot "dogs".
But, Slashdot readers aside, who would rather have an animal that can actually emphasize with you and that you can care about? The robot dog: "Go off in the corner and recharge until I want you again." There's something to be said for knowing the dog actually gives a shit.
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but I wouldn't want a dog or any animal, I don't have any plants either, I prefer a robot if I needed a guide dog. No, I don't need it 'to give a shit', in fact I find it disgusting to have animals in the house. Also there are entirely too many people with dogs, and these dogs piss and shit everywhere, it is atrocious and repulsive.
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That explains a lot.
Re: Robotic nav dogs are a great idea! (Score:1)
Wow, you're a really shitty person.
Re:Robotic nav dogs are a great idea! (Score:4, Informative)
Guide dogs don't cost $74k.
You sure about that [puppyintraining.com], chief?
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Your link does not support the idea that guide dogs cost $74k. Yes, they are expensive, but not $74k.
Re: Robotic nav dogs are a great idea! (Score:4, Informative)
But a guide dog does cost about $60k all in. Not $74k, but but that far off.
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Four years ago...
Initial cost for Guide Dog = $50,000. Ongoing cost = $1,200 a year. Estimated working span = 8 years. Total cost for a guide dog = $59,600
Everything's up in price these days
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From a 4 yr old article
Initial cost for Guide Dog = $50,000. Ongoing cost = $1,200 a year. Estimated working span = 8 years. Total cost for a guide dog = $59,600
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Guide dogs also bring companionship. Try that with a robot. Guide dogs don't cost $74k.
Technology will eventually make guide dogs redundant, but I doubt that guide dogs will ever be supplanted by robot "dogs".
Then have a guide robot and friend dog.
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1. That figure doesn't come directly from a guide dog school, although it is in the ballpark of what I have heard (we have raised over 15 puppies for a guide dog school).
2. People like Betty White are probably not going to donate millions towards buying robots.
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Beyond WHOSE comprehension?
Well for those who read the article the answer is Aaron Gordon.
I understand the editors just toss off enough content to get paid but failure to think shit through is a very stupid look earning increasing scorn and contempt both of you ignore
No stupider than a forum that fails to read articles presented to them and makes snap-judgement.
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Beyond WHOSE comprehension? I understand the editors just toss off enough content to get paid but failure to think shit through is a very stupid look earning increasing scorn and contempt both of you ignore.
The quote is from TFA, and Vice News isn't exactly high-brow content.
It *is* incredibly tone-deaf to assume that everyone who is blind desires to be a dog owner. Some people are allergic to dogs, and there are also those who whose living situation is incompatible with dog ownership.
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I understand the editors just toss off enough content to get paid but failure to think shit through is a very stupid look earning increasing scorn and contempt both of you ignore.
Very clearly beyond any comprehension of whoever wrote that ignorant hit piece of a worthless article.
It's hard to tell what one a company who produces manufacturing robots wants out of a company with a lot of R&D knowledge in robotics? Guess they don't know Hyundai have a whole subsidiary dedicated to robotics and manufacture called Hyundai Wia
I pine for the days when a "reporter" would at least have the curtesy of typing a company name into Google before writing their article.
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Dogs are just smart meat.
Dogs, meat, Korean Chaebol... there must be a joke in there
Most Famous For Robot Police Dogs? (Score:2)
Ok so there was a story about a Boston Dynamics Spot being used by the NYPD, but has the submitter/editor really not heard of them apart from that? I'd say they're most famous for their youtube videos of robots dancing
That's all bad enough, but why anyone would want a seeing eye robot dog instead of a real dog is beyond comprehension.
Real dogs take a while to train and have dog needs. Sure real dogs have advantages, but really? You can't comprehend any reasons people might not want one?
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I'd say they're most famous for their youtube videos of robots dancing
That's because you're a nerd.
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Imagine someone on slashdot being a nerd
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Imagine someone knowing they're a nerd and still not accounting for perspective and the masses of asses
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The point is the story was posted on slashdot - a site with the slogan "News for Nerds" so the stories or at least the headlines could reflect that.
Plus I know plenty of non-nerd people that saw the Boston Dynamics videos that went viral before the stunt with the NYPD
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It's pretty simple. (Score:2)
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They already have robotic defenses for some time. I've been to the DMZ a couple times...pretty amazing.
I keep hoping for a Spot Wheelchair (Score:2)
Their BigDog and LS3 dogs can carry up to 400 pounds. If they redesigned them in a slightly scaled down way, they could make the perfect wheelchair — capable of transporting handicapped people up stairs and over arbitrary terrain easily.
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If they redesigned them in a slightly scaled down way, they could make the perfect wheelchair â"
With a bumpy ride, and noisy AF?
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I'd prefer a palaquin, less bumpy and more comfortable.
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Actually, I suspect the ride could be made as smooth as you want to make it. Their four-legged robots rock ever so slightly around a certain point. They certainly walk more smoothly than any pack animal, and you could tweak the gait software to minimize movement where you put the saddle.
Their walking robots *are* noisy, but they aren't designed to be quiet. A car chassis would be noisy too if you didn't engineer the squeaks and creaks and clacks out of it.
The real problem with walking is that it's less mec
Ambitions beyond car manufacturing LOL (Score:5, Informative)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Kind of like Samsung - a lot of people think they just make TVs and phones but they too have hands in a whole lot of different businesses. Hyundai and Samsung are the first and second biggest shipbuilders in the world respectively, for example.
Bingo (Score:3)
Though that may be because I was recently watching videos of heavy construction/mining equipment with a two year old.
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From your own link, there are a lot of companies named 'Hyundai' that no longer have any legal connection to the Hyundai Motor Group (which is who bought Boston Dynamics). HMG builds cars, makes steel, does construction, makes parts, and various other things. The ship building, construction equipment, etc is Hyundai Heavy Industries, which is a different company.
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From your own link, there are a lot of companies named 'Hyundai' that no longer have any legal connection to the Hyundai Motor Group (which is who bought Boston Dynamics). HMG builds cars, makes steel, does construction, makes parts, and various other things. The ship building, construction equipment, etc is Hyundai Heavy Industries, which is a different company.
Sure. In the same sort of way Trump Financial, Trump Hotels, and Trump Golf are also legally separate companies. Obviously completely unrelated.
Re: Ambitions beyond car manufacturing LOL (Score:2)
That's just creepy. (Score:2)
A human existence without human contact is a desperately dark future.
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Consider this: Do you have aging parents or grandparents that are finding it difficult to look after themselves? How do they get day-to-day tasks done when you're not there to help them? Do you just toss them aside into a nursing facility to rot or do you find a way for them to keep living independently and maintain their pride?
We already have trained service animals to assist people so why not robots that could do the job without needing toilet breaks?
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I used to work at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program for a couple of years, many people who are interned in nursing homes could have stayed independently in their own home for many additional years with a minimum of assistance. Help getting out of the bed or chair, monitor their vital signs, remind them of their prescriptions and maybe bring them with some water, help keep track of the phone and remote control, nag them into doing exercises, possibly do some light housecleaning, and call for assistan
Re: That's just creepy. (Score:2)
I agree with that sentiment, but I don't feel like this is a push toward that future. They're showing examples of how the robot could be used, so of course it's all about human-robot interactions. If it was a picture of person having dinner with all his robot friends, or someone watching tv with her robot companion, that would be super creepy.
That said, it's a weird video. Going back to steel, water and feet? Also, it seems like a very poor usage of a robotic dog to strap an iPad to it so the doctor can se
But why you ask? (Score:2)
For the same reasons that in the future, lots of humans will prefer having robot human instead of a real human for companionship. Less troubles, no more dating, courtship, break-up, nagging. They will be the dreamt partner. For robot dogs it could be no more poo to pick up, training, vet visits, real guardian and protector of your house. They will be programmed only for the good things. Could humans develop
In our major cities this has already happened (Score:2)
Hyundai envisions a lonely future in which social cohesion between humans has broken down...
For people who don't need service dogs, you will walk your Hyundog as personal protection. With one of these, Lady Gaga would be able to do her own walking.
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Only if she gets better shoes.
National interest? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Unitree's original mini-Spot was about $10,000, the new and smaller A1 ranges from $2700-$8500 depending on options. Unitree's emphasis has been on hardware development, Boston Dynamics investment has been concentrated in the software, which is why A1 can follow you while you jog, but Spot can identify a glass on the counter and put it in the dishwasher. Unitree's A1 is mostly a development platform for now, they appear to be hoping that outside developers will build the software capabilities out, Boston
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Why, in the middle of a discussion about spending hundreds of billions of dollars on national competitiveness, are we even considering allowing the sale of one of America's best Future Tech companies to a foreign power and major manufacturing competitor?
Well SoftBank bought it in 2017 so it's a foreign owned company changing hands.
But more broadly, one of the things that makes the US attractive to entrepreneurs is the openness of the economy. If you don't let people sell their companies to foreign investors then the Angels and VCs might start looking elsewhere for startups to invest in.
Editor (Score:2)
2 words after "progress for humanity" you flubbed the quote as "progress of humanity".
You might have drifted north of the Ballmer Peak [xkcd.com] in those two words.
Boston Dynamics Will Bite You (Score:2)
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Personally I think sending Spot in to inspect and carry out remediation at Chernobyl and Fukushima is a far better option than making humans do it. I'd rather have Spot carrying out monitoring patrols on an unmanned oil platform than either isolating some poor schmuck there for months at a time or ignoring it until there's a failure. I think it preferable that Spot venture into the inside of hazardous waste tank to inspect its condition than a person.
It makes perfect sense - demographically (Score:2)
"Hyundai released a bizarre hype video featuring a seeing-eye robot dog, a nurse robot dog with a tablet mounted on its head that allows the patient to nod at a doctor who is somewhere else, and a teen dancing with a robot in the street. In other words, Hyundai envisions a lonely future in which social cohesion between humans has broken down and robots are our only friends."
So, the purchase make 100% complete sense then. Anyone can look at basic South Korean demographic statistics and figure out what a rap
Insurance, too? (Score:2)
Mechanical assistance (Score:2)
Let me help. A robot won't need special care or training. This makes it ideal for the disabled who have their hands full taking care of themselves. It also makes it cheaper and therefore more widely available once it can be mass produced. A robot dog can have parts replaced, can go into stores without trouble, can record accidents, and can be upgraded.
>...In other words, Hyundai envisions a lonely future
The question remains (Score:2)
Will Spot still be a good boy?
Huh, why? (Score:2)
Why does this company keep changing hands? This is at least the 3rd owner. Could it be that once they buy it, the owners realize they either can't control the engineers, or that they can't actually make any money off it?