Saskatchewan Polytechnic has purchased a dog that doesn’t shed and doesn’t need to go outside to do its business, although the dog can fetch and roll over.
It’s a state-of-the-art robotic dog purchased from Ghost Robotics of Philadelphia at a cost of about $200,000 for the basic package.
The attachments are extra.
Dr. Terry Peckham, director and research chair for Sask Poly’s Digital Integration Centre of Excellence expects the robot dog will be an enticement for students, and it will help students learn the digital programming needed in this growing industry.
It will be used for research and industry partners will be able to conduct proof-of-concept and field trials before possibly purchasing their own.
He explains that the robotic dog, or quadroped, is ideal for hazardous or unsafe locations because it can use cameras, sensors and radios to transmit information back to the user, which makes it ideal for some industries, for instance checking out a potash mine to make sure it is safe or monitoring a high voltage area.
It can also be programmed to check dials and once programmed, can work autonomously.
Computer Systems Technology graduate Brady Warford says he was hired to be one of the leads for this project and he will be sad when it’s done.
He says, “I might cry a little bit when I am off this project. Not actually, but I’m going to miss it. It’s really cool to be involved with this project.”
The dog’s name is Striker, but Dr. Peckham expects there will be a naming contest at the college to come up with its final moniker.