Boston Dynamics will sue rival company over Spot robot-dog look-alikes
Boston Dynamics is suing its competitor Ghost Robotics, which makes four-legged robots very similar to the robot-dog Spot.
Here's What We Know
The Spirit 40 and Vision 60 robots do look a lot like Spot. But Boston Dynamics asserts that Ghost Robotics copied not only the design, but infringed a total of 7 patents and "borrowed" key technologies from Spot, including self-repair and stair climbing systems.
According to the lawsuit, the infringing company knew exactly what it was doing, as Boston Dynamics asked Ghost Robotics to review the patents related to Spot back in July 2020, five months after the Spirit 40 launched. After that time, the company sent two cease-and-desist letters asking Ghost to stop selling its robot dogs.
Boston Dynamics says it "welcomes competition," but will take tough action against companies that violate its intellectual property rights. Through the court the manufacturer intends to seek damages, but the exact amount is still unknown.
Source: Engadget