Rochester Memorial School Flips for Robotic Dog

It's not every day that a school gets a visit from a robotic dog, but students at Rochester Memorial School got a special treat this week.

The robotic dog is named "Spot" and it was created at Boston Dynamics.  The demonstration was coordinated by RMS parent Kevin Garell and his two sons:  fifth grader Gavin Garell and second grader Grady Garell.

"The students were wowed," said Rochester Memorial principal Heidi Letendre.  "They were very excited and just amazed that you could use a remote to move the robot.  It was pretty large and very heavy."

The Garell boys took their place during the school-wide assembly to watch their father guide the robotic dog around the room.  Spot has the ability to obey commands, sit, fetch a ball, and even dance!

According to Boston Dynamics, Spot is the first of its generation of semi-autonomous four legged robots.  It has the ability to independently walk up and down stairs and avoid walls.  It has a harder time recognizing the difference between loose soil and hard packed dirt.

"We live in a day and age of technology.  We hope students can see that there's a future for them in different ways in regards to the ever changing world of technology," said Letendre.

Boston Dynamics does not reveal the cost of the robot dogs because technically, the robots aren't for sale.

"The live demonstration taught the students how engineers are inspired by nature and how robots can assist humans now and in the future," said Letendre.