A robotic dog fell down the stairs and broke during a demonstration (10 photos + 1 video)

19 September 2024

A video has captured a £60,000 Boston Dynamics robot dog going awry during a demo at Lyons Park, Jaguar Land Rover's test centre in Coventry, UK, for journalists.

When going down the steps, the robot failed and fell down. It made a couple of attempts to get up, but it failed - the impact of the fall was too severe. According to Gonzalo Ejarque-Rinaldini, technical manager of the JLR project, the robot dog will now need some “healing” by replacing damaged parts. But this in no way detracts from its quality, he is sure.

“I trust Boston Dynamics, as always – these are top-notch machines,” he says. “The perception system is quite sophisticated. The machines sometimes fall, and it is very important to be able to recover them.”

At Lions Park, JLR specialists test prototype electric batteries at different temperatures and pressures before installing them in test cars. Spot the dog (renamed Rover by JLR, of course) patrols the area to identify potential problems that could lead to accidents.

For example, using a thermal imaging camera, Rover can detect overheating of the mechanism, which can cause a fire. It can also detect even minor gas leaks with its built-in sensors and investigate areas that may be unsafe after an incident.

Like the Titanic, which traveled 3,000 kilometers before hitting an iceberg, the robotic dog Rover managed to successfully complete several tasks during a media demonstration before falling down the stairs.

He successfully patrolled the corridors, passed employees, opened and entered doors, and also managed to get up from a lying position on the floor.

Rover then climbed the small stairs and carefully took up a position for the descent before taking the first step down. Unfortunately, the steps used for the demonstration had a gap in the middle, which compromised the stability of the device. The robot placed its left front foot on the gap, immediately slipped, and fell.

When it hit the hard floor, it dislocated its limb, sending small parts flying, including a plastic cover and a tiny screw. The rover was barely lifted to its feet, and was eventually shut down so engineers could more closely inspect the damage. It is unclear why the robotic dog did not notice the gap, or if it did, why it did not perceive it as dangerous. Boston Dynamics has yet to find out.

A rather unfortunate incident, given that Rover stumbled and made a blunder during its finest hour, while being in the spotlight of the cameras. Even if nine times out of ten it copes with such a task with flying colours, there is, as they say, a bad taste in the mouth.

“Rover is still in the learning process as part of our pilot project, and it is very unfortunate that it stumbled during the demonstration,” JLR representatives said. “But every dog has his day, so we wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him joining the pack again in the next couple of weeks.”

Rover’s field of view, as displayed on the large screen

JLR is one of many Boston Dynamics customers using the Boston Dynamics dog. The robotic dogs are also used by the French military, the Pompeii archaeological site, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Rover has been in use at JLR's Coventry facility for about six months, while the second dog is in use at another JLR facility in Shannon, Ireland. JLR plans to expand the company's fleet to about 10 dogs, who will move around the building autonomously, just like any other employee.

“At first, when people see Rover, they’re like, ‘Oh, this is fantastic, I have to take a picture with it!’” Ejarque-Rinaldini says. “But then they get used to it and start treating it like any other tool or piece of equipment.”