Meet Pompeii’s pet robot SPOT

SPOT, a quadruped robot, inspecting archaeological spaces and structures in Pompeii

SPOT is capable of inspecting the smallest of spaces and is designed to improve Pompeii’s monitoring operations.

The four legged robot is going to gather and record data in areas undergoing recovery or restoration to help manage the safety of the archaeological site and workers.

“We wish to test the use of these robots in the underground tunnels that were made by illegal excavators which we are uncovering in the area around Pompeii,” says Pompeii’s Director general, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.

Zuchtriegel also says that the robot will be able to scan the conditions of the tunnels dug by grave robbers which are often ‘extremely precarious’.

SPOT made by the robotics company, Boston Dynamics can operate on different terrains, allowing for a safe automatic inspection. The robot was a part of an experiment that also tested the Leica BLK2FLY, a flying laser scanner that conducts autonomous 3D scans.

The Archaeological park of Pompeii is using integrated technology solutions as part of its Smart@POMPEI project. Its goal is to make Pompeii a smart Archaeological park that works towards sustainable and intelligent management of park.

Rijul Baath contributed to this report