A Boston Dynamics Spot robot has been seen on the grounds of the SpaceX Boca Chica facility.
On June 14, reporters covering the Boca Chica facility spotted a new structure, a bright red dog house with the name Zeus above its opening. The sight prompted speculation immediately, speculation that was answered earlier today.
Posted on the LabPadre YouTube channel, the grainy footage shows a SpaceX employee at the Boca Chica facility walking around with a Boston Dynamics Spot robot.
The robot has been under development at Boston Dynamics for several years. Last year, the company began leasing the robots out to businesses. Yesterday, the Spot robots officially went on sale to the general public.
The base model of the Spot robot is priced at $74,500. However, it can be specced up to add inspection equipment at a cost of $24,750, lidar at $18,450, and more. As a result, an “Enterprise” model of the robot would likely cost well over $100,000.
On the Boston Dynamics website, the company outlines several uses for the Spot Robot. Most notable for SpaceX will likely be leak detection, thermal inspection, noise anomaly detection, reading gauges unreachable by humans, and 360° site documentation.
The exact nature of how SpaceX intends to use its Spot robot is currently unknown. However as the primary function of the Boca Chica facility at this time is the construction and testing of Starship prototypes, its duties will likely be in aid of those goals. This could be anything from inspecting pressurized launch hardware for leaks to the thermal inspection of key components.
