Boston Dynamics’ robot dog gets busy herding New Zealand sheep
Robots are becoming increasingly capable and versatile which means they are now able to accomplish an increasingly wide variety of tasks.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2020) 'Boston Dynamics’ robot dog gets busy herding New Zealand sheep', 311 Institute, 30 May. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/boston-dynamics-robot-dog-gets-busy-herding-new-zealand-sheep/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
We all know that humans jobs are under threat of being automated by increasingly intelligent and autonomous machines. But how about sheep dogs? Well, the robots are coming for their jobs now too it seems. Previously immune to the threat of techno-replacement, unless you want to count robot pets like Sony’s Aibo, sheepdogs in New Zealand are currently facing competition from the encroaching wave of robo-automation, courtesy of Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot that I’ve talked about before.
A new video shows Spot carrying out a variety of assistive agricultural tasks, including inspecting crops and, yes, herding sheep – unlike sheep dogs it seems that Spot is somewhat of a multi-tasker, one that never stops, and never needs feeding or sleep.
While it’s unlikely a real-life sheepdog has much to fear from Boston Dynamics’ bounding machine, it’s a pretty impressive demonstration for the canine-inspired robot, which finally went on sale last year after years of research and development in the lab.
In the video released last week Spot is shown navigating rugged environments to capture real-time data. This information can then be fed back to those who require it.
A press release issued by Boston Dynamics and robot operations software platform Rocos describes how this could be useful in scenarios such as helping farmers to “access information such as more accurate and up-to-date yield estimates.”
“The age of autonomous robots is upon us,” Rocos CEO David Inggs said in a statement. “We’re working with organizations like Boston Dynamics to help accelerate the adoption of robotics. By connecting robots to the cloud, we can help them combine a cloud software layer with robotics to achieve physical automation at scale. Our customers are augmenting their human workforces to automate physical processes that are often dull, dirty, or dangerous.”
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Robots are becoming increasingly capable and versatile which means they are now able to accomplish an increasingly wide variety of tasks.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Rocos rocos.io
- said in a statement businesswire.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 30 May 2020. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2020). Boston Dynamics’ robot dog gets busy herding New Zealand sheep. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/boston-dynamics-robot-dog-gets-busy-herding-new-zealand-sheep/
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