Hyundai Acquires Robot Police Dog Company Boston Dynamics

Car manufacturer Hyundai has reportedly acquired Boston Dynamics, the robotics company best known for creating robot “dogs” that have been used by police departments around the world.

VICE News reports that automaker Hyundai has acquired Boston Dynamics, the robot maker responsible for the robot “dog” Spot that has been featured in multiple viral videos since its development. One video produced by Boston Dynamics can be seen below:

The deal between Hyundai and Boston Dynamics reportedly values the robot maker at $1.1 billion, according to a press release from Hyundai, and Hyundai will assume an 80 percent controlling take in the company. Softbank will retain a 20 percent stake in the firm.

Currently, it is unknown what Hyundai hopes to get out of its acquisition o the company, but robotics has been utilized in car manufacturing for some time. Hyundais says that the acquisition is “another major step toward its strategic transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider” such as “autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI), Urban Air Mobility (UAM), smart factories and robots.”

Boston Dynamics robotic dogs have been utilized in recent years by law enforcement. One of the dogs was used during a response to a home invasion in the Bronx, the Daily Mail noted:

Two men were reportedly being held hostage in a Bronx apartment. They had been threatened at gun point, tied up and tortured for hours by two male assailants who pretended to be plumbers to gain access to the home. One of the victims managed to escape and called the police. Digidog was deployed and helped officers determine that the armed suspects were no longer inside the home.

Hyundai said in its statement that it hopes to “develop advanced technologies that enhance people’s lives and promote safety, thereby realizing the progress for humanity.” To celebrate the purchase, Hyundai has released an extremely odd video featuring a seeing-eye robot dog, a nurse robot dog, and a teen dancing with a robot in the street.

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