Dog-like robot Spot employed to help manage ruins of ancient Pompeii  

A dog-like robot has been deployed to roam around the ruins of ancient Pompeii. It is identifying structural and safety issues and also inspecting tunnels dug by relic thieves.  

The initiative is the latest in a series of technologies employed to better manage the archaeological park since 2013.

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Created by the US-based Boston Dynamics, the four-legged robot Spot is being used as part of a broader project.   

The robot is capable of inspecting even the smallest of spaces while “gathering and recording data useful for the study and planning of interventions”, park authorities said.  

The aim is to “improve both the quality of monitoring of the existing areas, and to further our knowledge of the state of progress of the works in areas undergoing recovery or restoration, and thereby to manage the safety of the site, as well as that of workers,” they added.   

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Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director, Pompeii archaeological park, said, “Technological advances in the world of robotics, in the form of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, have produced solutions and innovations typically associated with the industrial and manufacturing world, but which until now had not found an application within archaeological sites due to the heterogeneity of environmental conditions, and the size of the site.”   

(With inputs from agencies)