Important Innovations

  Mini-Pupper Robotic Dog For Under $300                                         Source:  MangDang Robo Companion for Kids, Pets and Adults If you're looking for a companion for your pet, your child or yourself, or something highly educational for your school that's the size of a chihauhau, a Hong Kong company may have just the thing - Mini-Pupper, a small robotic dog at a very affordable price of under $300.  MangDang, in conjunction with Stanford Puppy, has designed the Mini-Pupper, a small dog sized automaton.  It's a four legged, educational robot that can be configured to your liking.  The company calls it an "educational, quadruped robot at a reasonable price".  It is designed to enable anyone, including kids at school or being home-schooled, to do fun robotic research and experiments.  The company and Mini-Pupper are currently on Kickstarter to sell the product and raise investor money. They are exceeding their initial goals. Small But Advanced Robotic Tech

  Spot Spotted on the High Seas Aboard an Oil Rig Source:  Boston Dynamics Spot RoboDog Multitasking Robot Dog I've been following Boston Dynamics' Spot RoboDog for some time.  Here's an update on this incredible quadruped, multi-tasking robot dog.  Spot has been on duty in Asia doing polite, social distancing patrols on the streets of Singapore to advise and encourage people to keep their distances and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among residents during 2020.  Spot is serving as a service assistance robot in US offices and homes.  He's on duty as a patrol robot on UK construction sites.  And, now Spot has gone on the high-seas, aboard a British Petroleum oil rig more than 190 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico to do off-shore robotic duty.  Spot seems to be the world's greatest utility robot. Spot on Oil Rig Duty Onboard the BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, Spot is being programmed to monitor gauges, sniff out dangerous smells of methane and check for any corrosion