To formally reveal the commercial launch of Spot, Boston Dynamics has produced an impressive ad highlighting all the robot's technical specifications. The current commercial iteration of Spot can run for 90 minutes off a single (swappable) battery charge, can carry up to 14 kg (30 lb), operate in temperatures spanning -20° C to 45° C (-4° F to 113° F), and is built to withstand dusty and wet environments.

All these relatively decent specs quite reasonably lead to the question of what commercial applications Spot could be actually used for. Boston Dynamics has been working for some time with early-adopting companies to explore possible industrial applications but practical uses do still seem relatively vague.

"Early customers are already testing Spot to monitor construction sites, provide remote inspection at gas, oil and power installations, and in public safety," Boston Dynamics says.