NAPLES, ITALY—The Guardian reports that a four-legged robot “dog” dubbed SPOT is being used to gather data on structural and safety issues across the more than 160 acres of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The robot, built by Boston Dynamics, can gather data in small spaces, and perhaps even in tunnels dug by looters. “Often the safety conditions within the tunnels dug by grave robbers are extremely precarious, and so the use of a robot could signify a breakthrough that would allow us to proceed with greater speed and in total safety,” explained Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the park. Park authorities are also experimenting with the use of a flying laser scanner to monitor the site, he added. To read about a nearly intact four-wheeled chariot unearthed at a villa just north of Pompeii, go to “A Ride Through the Countryside.”
