????還有什么東西比機器人更酷呢？當然是長相可愛的“機器狗”。

????這可能就是一只機器狗的新視頻迅速紅遍互聯網的原因所在。這只名叫Spot的機器狗是波士頓動力公司（Boston Dynamics）的產品，這家機器人公司于2013年被谷歌收購。相對而言，谷歌一直沒有表露它在機器人領域日益增長的雄心，但是通過了解波士頓動力公司的運營方式，以及谷歌收購這家公司的理由，我們還是能夠觀察到很多東西的。

????你至少應該明白以下幾件事情：

????波士頓動力公司從事機器人研究已經很長時間了

????早在1992年，前麻省理工學院研究人員馬克?雷伯特就創立了這家公司。該公司最初致力于開發用來訓練執法人員的擬人仿真軟件。但雷伯特在麻省理工學院和卡耐基梅隆大學工作期間，曾經做過大量關于機器人移動能力的研究，因而該公司最終走上了生產機器人的道路。

????他們已經建立起了一個機器動物王國

????Spot并非波士頓動力公司設計的首款機器動物。在此之前，該公司還研制過一只名叫“大狗”（BigDog）的犬型機器人，體長約有3英尺；此外它還研制過一只名叫“野貓”（WildCat），奔跑時速可達每小時29英里的“機器貓”，以及一款6英尺高的人型機器人阿特拉斯（Atlas）。

????移動能力是該公司機器人的獨特之處

????波士頓動力公司生產的機器人以極佳的平衡能力而聞名。在那段Spot的視頻中，工作人員踢了它一腳，試圖把它踹倒。但Spot只是向一旁蹣跚了幾步，迅速恢復了站姿。體型更大的“大狗”可以爬上35度的斜坡，還可以自己走過雪地、積水和泥濘的山路。

????總體上，波士頓動力公司的目標是生產一系列能夠輕易應對真實世界地形的機器人。它的應用前景非常廣泛，比如你可以派遣“阿特拉斯”參與救災活動，讓Spot給零亂的房間來個大掃除等等。

????他們與美軍密切合作

????波士頓動力公司與美國國防部高級研究計劃局（DARPA）以及美國海軍、陸軍和海軍陸戰隊都有過合作。“大狗”的部分研發資金就來自于DARPA，它的目標是充當“木牛流馬”，與美國大兵一起執行任務。這些機器人極為強大——你可以看看這段“大狗”扔煤渣砌塊的視頻。不過，它們主要用于輔助人類，而不是成為傷害人類的武器。聯合國內部正在討論各國是否應該在“殺手機器人”能夠被輕易生產出來以前，制定一些旨在限制機器人武器化的法規。

????它們是谷歌機器人大軍的一部分

????波士頓動力公司是谷歌收購的機器人公司中最出名的一家。不過單單在2013年，谷歌就至少吞并了7家其他的機器人公司。谷歌還委任安卓軟件之父安迪?魯賓領銜新成立的機器人部門，不過魯賓已于去年10月表示他將離開谷歌。谷歌尚未公開它對這些機器人公司有何計劃，但據《紐約時報》報道，谷歌首先將瞄準企業客戶，并將提供可以用于制造業和零售業的機器人。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????What’s cooler than robots? Robots shaped like adorable puppies, of course.

????That likely explains why a new video of a robotic dog is making the Internet rounds. The dog, named Spot, is from Boston Dynamics, a robotics company Google acquired in 2013. Google has been relatively quiet about its growing robotics ambitions, but there’s plenty to be gleaned by understanding how Boston Dynamics operates and why Google bought the company.

????Here’s what you should know:

????Boston Dynamics has been around for a long time

????The company was founded in 1992 by Marc Raibert, a former researcher at MIT. Boston Dynamics originally focused on developing human simulation software used to train law enforcement. But Raibert had done extensive research on robotic mobility at MIT and Carnegie Mellon, leading the company to eventually expand to producing robotic machines.

????They’ve built a whole robot animal kingdom

????Spot is not Boston Dynamics’ first animal-like design. The company has also built BigDog, a 3-foot long, canine-like creature; WildCat, which can run at speeds of 29 miles per hour; and the six-foot humanoid robot Atlas.

????Mobility makes their robots special

????Boston Dynamics’ robots are renowned for their incredible balance. In the video of Spot, company employees can be seen kicking the robotic dog, trying to topple it over. However, Spot simply staggers sideways a few steps and easily regains its footing. The larger BigDog can walk up slopes as steep as 35 degrees and navigate through snow, water and muddy hiking trails.

????Broadly, Boston Dynamics’ goal is to create a fleet of robots that can easily navigate real-world terrain. This could be useful for everything from sending Atlas into a disaster zone to letting Spot clean up a cluttered apartment (sorry, DJ Roomba).

????They work with the military

????Boston Dynamics has partnered with DARPA, the U.S. Navy, the Army and the Marines, according to its website. BigDog was funded in part by DARPA and is envisioned as a kind of robotic pack mule that could accompany soldiers on missions. The robots are incredibly strong—check out BigDog hurling a cinderblock—but to this point their uses seem centered on aiding people, not being weaponized to hurt humans. There’s a growing debate within the United Nations about whether nations need to establish rules about weaponied “killer robots” before they become easy to produce.

????They’re part of Google’s robot army

????Boston Dynamics is the most famous of Google’s robotics acquisitions, but the search giant snatched up at least seven other robotics companies in 2013. It also put Android creator Andy Rubin in charge of a new robotics division, though Rubin said last October that he was leaving Google. Google hasn’t said what it plans to do with all these robot companies, but the New York Times reports it will initially target enterprise customers and offer robots that can be used in manufacturing or retail.