Four-legged robot seen in Super Bowl ad stops in Austin

A four-legged robot that has been getting a lot of attention lately made a stop in Austin Monday.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A four-legged robot that has been getting a lot of attention lately made a stop in Austin Monday.

Spot, a four-legged robot, was created by Boston Dynamics and has been seen in a Samuel Adams Super Bowl ad, as well as showcased on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Although Spot resembles a four-legged furry friend, the robot was designed to work in industrial settings, including going in places where humans aren't able to go, according to Boston Dynamics.

"It becomes an employee that can work 24/7," said Trygve Ronningen, the senior vice president of operation for Cognite North America. "It needs to get charged once in a while, but I think that the whole autonomous operation is something that people aren't really aware of."

Similarly, robots like Spot are used along the Texas border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, made by a different company.

"The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast and that is exactly why a machine may excel there," Science and Technology Directorate Program Manager Brenda Long told Border Report earlier this month.

The robots along the border would be equipped with night vision, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear sensors.

Spot visited Austin during the Energy in Data conference hosted by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.