Boston Dynamics Spot
Quadruped on sale since June 2020. It runs repeatable Autowalk missions with auto-docking and is fleet-managed in Orbit. With modular payloads (LiDAR, PTZ + thermal camera, acoustic sensor) it serves as an inspection platform.
- Year
- 2020
- Origin
- United States
- Autonomy
- L3 · Conditional autonomy
- Dataset review
- 2026-11 · Methodology & evidence levels
Spec sheet
Manufacturer maxima under declared conditions; not simultaneous. The test condition is shown under each value.
- Weight
- 32.5 kg
- net weight
- Payload
- 14 kg
- maximum payload
- Operating time
- 90 min
- average, no payload; varies with payload and environment
- Top speed
- 1.6 m/s
- Editorial estimate
- IP rating
- IP54
- Temperature range
- -20 … 45 °C
- Onboard compute
- Spot CORE I/O
- Approx. public price
- $74,500
Primary source quality: Manufacturer / operator
Backed by:[Boston Dynamics, 2020][Boston Dynamics Support][The Boston Globe, 2020]
Taxonomy profile
Where the platform sits on the four axes of the reference framework.
Autonomy
Conditional autonomy- L0
- L1
- L2
- L3
- L4
- L5
Makes local decisions on unexpected events; needs occasional remote supervision.
Coordination
Coordinated- Standalone
- Coordinated
- Collaborative swarm
Shares state and telemetry through a base station or central server.
Control
primary: Supervised mission- FPV
- Teleop
- Supervised
- BVLOS
- RL/VLA
supported: Teleoperation · Supervised mission · Learned policy (RL/VLA)
Perception
6 sensing modalities- Stereo cameras / VIO
- IMU
- 3D LiDAR
- Thermal / infrared
- PTZ zoom camera
- Acoustic / leak ultrasound
Operating environments
- Industrial plant
- Offshore / energy
- Confined spaces
- Emergency / disaster
- Urban / pedestrian
Sectors
- Infrastructure inspection
- Energy
- Security & surveillance
- Public safety & emergency
Ideal business case
Inspection rounds in plants and substations