Would You Buy A Robot Dog Named Spot?

WALTHAM, MA — Next year you could own your very own robot to rule the world,er, help around the house. Boston Dynamics, the Waltham robotics firm that has been working to bring you the Terminator-meets-Short Circuit robots for decades, recently announced not one, but two futuristic robots about to hit the market.

The company's dog-like "SpotMini" (minus the fur and with a head that turns into a long helpful arm transformer style) will go on sale next year, Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert said Friday during a technology conference.

SpotMini can climb stairs and grab objects, and could be used to help mobility-impaired people in their homes, he said. Both Spot and a robot that stands on two legs called "Atlas" have been in the works since 1992.

The company released this slightly scary or very cool video of Spot in February.

And then released this one last week:

Meanwhile, the company just released a Youtube video of Atlas, which stands about 5 feet tall and weighs in at 165 pounds. In the video he/ it is running and jumping over a log.

For anyone who's seen the movie Terminator and who feels a little sweaty and is suddenly gulping at the thought of robots taking over the world and then us, fret not? The company said there are no plans for it to be used in military or law enforcement capacities. Instead, Atlas is intended for conducting search-and-rescue missions and working in environments too harsh for humans. Anyway, Atlas won't be on sale for a while, according to the company.

Does that make you feel better?

Boston Dynamics was created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, purchased by Google then sold to its current owner, Japan's SoftBank.

Are you ready for robots? Comment below and let us know your reaction to robots that aren't called Roomba and Alexa.

Check out the videos of Atlas on Patch: Boston Dynamics Robot Runs, Leaps[Video].

Lead photo: The SpotMini robot. (Credit: Boston Dynamics)

-With reporting by Jason Claffety