Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
For its latest trick, a dog-like robot from Boston Dynamics noses around a construction site and scuttles up stairs on four legs — a demonstration, the company hopes, for why the market should buy its creations.
Why it matters: Boston Dynamics is trying to figure out how to sell its robots, including Spot, the robot that in the clip above is moving with an agility and versatility that possibly no rival has matched.
Boston Dynamics likes to cloud its work with mystery, teasing the watching world with showy videos in which robots do amazing feats.
Reality check: We asked Boston Dynamics whether the robot above is autonomous or human-driven, but it did not answer.
- Previously, it told Axios that SpotMini, a smaller four-legged bot, can operate autonomously in controlled settings, once it learns its surroundings.
- But in a recent demonstration for a New York Times reporter, the same bot was being controlled by a human as it trotted around a Boston-area parking lot.
What's next: Beyond putting out flashy demos, the company has been plagued with questions about how it will make money. Just last week, Rethink, a storied robotics company, folded. An executive told the Boston Globe it crumbled under pressure from competitors, not because of wider monetization problems in the industry.