Hospitals are using iPads mounted on robot dogs to help doctors

Robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics has found a new job for its robot dog Spot Mini amidst the coronavirus outbreak: Modified Spot robots, outfitted with iPads, are now letting doctors walk into the rooms of coronavirus patients without risking infection. “Based on these conversations, as well as the global shortage of critical personal protective equipment (PPE), we have spent the past several weeks trying to better understand hospital requirements to develop a mobile robotics solution with our robot, Spot,” the company wrote in an update. “The result is a legged robot application that can be deployed to support frontline staff responding to the pandemic in ad-hoc environments such as triage tents and parking lots.” The goal is to limit the number of medical staff being placed in danger of catching the virus.