ROME (Reuters) – A four-legged yellow and black robot has been called in to inspect the ancient ruins of Pompeii and help to improve management of one of Italy’s most famous archaeological sites.
The robot, called Spot, designed by U.S. based Boston Dynamics, is part of a broader project to use technology to help monitor work on the Pompeii site and to make it safer, the organisation that runs the site said in a statement.
The aim is “improving both the monitoring of the existing (ruins) and the knowledge of the progress of the works in the areas under recovery or restoration and therefore to manage the safety of the site, as well as of the workers,” it said.
Spot will also be sent into underground tunnels dug by thieves to get into the ancient city to steal artefacts.
“We want to test these robots in the underground tunnels of the clandestine excavators we are discovering in the area,” said the park’s director general, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, adding it was critical to monitor the safety conditions in the tunnels.
Pompeii will also have a flying laser scanner which will carry out 3D scans of the ruins.
(Writing by Angelo Amante. Editing by Jane Merriman)
