BOSTON Dynamics’ four-legged yellow robot dog, Spot, has been tasked with a new job: patrolling the ancient ruins of Pompeii in Italy. The robot will be used to inspect the site for safety issues and record structural changes over time to better manage the historic ruins. The remains of Pompeii aren’t small; they cover roughly 400,000 square meters. And Pompeii, a 2,000-year-old Roman city encased in volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, has narrow passages and uneven surfaces. Part of Spot’s work will be to autonomously roam the site with a 3D scanner tracking any small changes to structures that could signal a need for intervention. The robot is the latest in a broader initiative to transform Pompeii into a “Smart Archaeological Park” with “intelligent, sustainable and inclusive management.” The impetus for this “integrated technological solution” started in 2013, when UNESCO identified structural deficiencies and damage at Pompeii and threatened to remove the site from its World Heritage list unless measures were taken to improve its preservation. The aim is “improving both the monitoring of the existing ruins and the knowledge of the progress of the works in the areas under recovery or restoration and therefore to manage the safety of the site, as well as of the workers,” the organization that runs the site said in a statement. Spot will also be sent into underground tunnels dug by thieves to get into the ancient city to steal artifacts. The park’s director general, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, says the robot will hopefully be small and agile enough to scan these tunnels and monitor their structural integrity. Pompeii will also have the Leica BLK2FLY flying laser scanner which will carry out 3D scans of the ruins in conjunction with Spot. The recorded data will be used to study and plan further interventions. Ever since Boston Dynamics began developing its dog-like robot over a decade ago, it has been one of those innovative solutions in search of a problem. In recent years, as the company commercialized Spot, it has been given a number of jobs, from working on an oil rig to herding sheep in New Zealand.(SD-Agencies) | 