At the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore, people encountered an unusual sight of a yellow coloured robotic dog, patrolling in the park and delivering a message regarding maintaining some social distance to the park saunters.

The yellow coloured robotic dog in non-other than the Boston Dynamic robot dog “SPOT”. The robotic dog is at two weeks trial from Friday (8^th May.) Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group are partnering on the pilot trial, which is scheduled to run for two weeks. 

SPOT work is to stroll in the park and remind park visitors to maintain social distance in the park. NParks and SNDGG deployed SPOT over a 3-km stretch in the River Plains section of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park for two weeks during off-peak hours.  The SPOT used to broadcast a recorded message to remind park visitors to observe safe social distancing measures.

According to tech government Singapore, SPOT will be controlled remotely, reducing the manpower required for park patrols and minimising physical contact among staff, volunteer safe distancing ambassadors and park visitors. This lowers the risk of exposure to the virus. Unlike wheeled robots, SPOT works well across different terrains and can navigate obstacles effectively, making it ideal for operation in public parks and gardens.