Boston Dynamics might just be trolling us now.
Days after it showcased its robots working together to open a door, the Boston tech company is back to show us what happens when a hockey-stick-wielding person attempts to get in its way.
In the video, a yellow, four-legged machine dubbed SpotMini fights off human attempts to stop it from opening a door.
After the robot persists in reaching for the door handle, despite the person’s hockey stick batting it away, it then resists the man’s attempt to hold the door closed. Finally, the robot struggles to spring forward as the man pulls it back away from the door by a rope.
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Eventually, the robot succeeds in opening the door and walking through the doorway.
How is this possible?
“A camera in the hand finds the door handle, cameras on the body determine if the door is open or closed and navigate through the doorway,” Boston Dynamics explained in a description of the video posted to YouTube. “Software provides locomotion, balance and adjusts behavior when progress gets off track.”
So is it a terrifying development or exciting technological leap? That’s up to the viewer.
Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.