HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

I believe so; see https://dev.bostondynamics.com/docs/concepts/choreography/ch... for the choreography API. You don't even have to buy a Spot to write the code, which is impressive in this industry! Now we just need someone to buy one and set it up in front of a webcam with a public SSH login.

There's more documentation at https://github.com/boston-dynamics/spot-sdk and https://dev.bostondynamics.com/. However, it looks like a lot of the choreography is built-in; you can call twerk() or butt_circle() (documented at https://dev.bostondynamics.com/docs/concepts/choreography/mo...) but you don't have access to the raw kinematics, gyros, and accelerometers to generate your own unique moves. It would be amazing if they'd release the full routine to cause your Atlas or Spot to perform the dances, but I'm not aware of that being public anywhere.

For a more general example, check out this video where Adam Savage used a Spot to pull a rickshaw; his programmer was able to work with the API to change the payload tuning of the robot:

https://youtu.be/zyaocKS3sfg?t=1482

It appears that the API is more about what you'd need to make Spot useful in an industrial or demonstration context than to build your own Spot. They want something that a generalist can make do useful stuff out-of-the-box, which makes sense.

⬐ exikyut

Apologies for the delayed reply, and thanks very much for this comprehensive answer. I've been curious for a little while, and this pretty much answers that curiosity completely.

Not as a horse, but a rickshaw.

"Adam Savage's Spot Robot Rickshaw Carriage!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyaocKS3sfg

As others have said you can't directly ride it (the max payload is too low), but Adam Savage did manage to hook it up to a rickshaw and ride it that way: https://youtu.be/zyaocKS3sfg?t=1358

⬐ melling

Looks like he could use an additional Spot or two to carry the load.

A pack of Spots.

⬐ brian_herman__

This is awesome! By far the most Rube Goldberg machine I have seen in a while.

⬐ falcolas

I'd call it the most cyberpunk thing I've seen in awhile. Melding a futuristic robot to pull a centuries old carriage is crazy entertaining.

⬐ ken

Does he get sunburned hands from bare-knuckle welding?

⬐ attqqq

Does anyone else get a weird feeling from videos like this? I can’t help but look at this as clickbait, or a move of desperation- but I can’t really articulate or pinpoint why. Like those “I filled my pool with ONE MILLION Orbeez” YouTube personalities who get by on the momentum from ‘shock’-value videos alone

⬐ aaron695

Not what I was expecting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRQmeANdYeM

And Mr Beast follows up with 100 million Orbeez of course https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TflpIllQHY

You could do a whole blog article on Orbeez and Youtube.

The top Orbeez video is.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7kcMJZY5c Are the long fingernails a important part of the video? I feel like they are.

⬐ pelliphant

I got the feeling that he was helping his friend at boston dynamics to create some hype for his product. But, I knew that before I watched the video, and I did enjoy watching it, so I don't mind.

⬐ bigyikes

It seems like Adam Savage legitimately enjoys this type of project and I think getting to make a neat video about it might be an auxiliary benefit for him.

Either way, I enjoyed the video. What would you prefer he do with the Spot?

⬐ attqqq

I don’t want to inject my personal opinions into this, I’m really hoping someone with a stronger grasp of the English language that also feels this way can step in, here

That being said.. I don’t think this would have the same effect if- say, it was another generic “Hey guys look at what this cool robot could do, Featuring: Savage”, albeit less creative, and already done to death, it wouldn’t connote the same weird “I made this video solely to put under the title my Soc Media manager told me to”(?) subtext

⬐ aaron695

Neither the Youtube title "Adam Savage's Spot Robot Rickshaw Carriage!" or current HN title "Adam Savage Builds a Rickshaw Pulled by Boston Dynamic's Spot Robot" are clickbait.

Both are reasonable.

The only issue with the Youtube channel title might be the "!", it is a little clickbaity that I would agree seems more the work of a PR team.

The problem with the video is -

The rickshaw doesn't look great. At the end of the day it's just a "I built a rickshaw" video.

But, people would pay money to use a spot rickshaw and it looks potentially awesome. Adam even talks about the 'visual experience'.

He was trying for a visual experience and I personally think he failed. But he came close. Maybe your issue is it was a kinda fail video, which are good to have, but they present it as a ! success?

Spots's are said to be the price of a luxury car whatever that means, seems like you need multiple. I don't think it'd work outside of a loss leader for someone like Disney atm.