tech2 News Staff

Earlier this year, Google had released an interesting video of Spot, a 160-pound dog robot navigating an office and then heading outside on its own. It is a smaller version of the Big Dog that first popped its head when Google acquired Boston Company. As the new changes come into effect, Boston Company is now Alphabet-owned and not a part of Google.

It will continue to build robots, and falls under Google X Projects (for now), a subsidiary of Alphabet. The other subsidiaries include Google, Nest Labs, Google X, Calico, Google Ventures, Google Capital and Google Life Sciences.

A new report says that the "company will create a separate division for robotics within the renamed umbrella entity Alphabet", citing a person related to the matter. Google has acquired roughly eight companies related to robotics including military grade robotics company Boston Dynamics. It will likely allow Boston Dynamics to operate with some independence.

Robotics is definitely one of the most interesting aspects Alphabet will focus on. Back in 2013, when Google bought robotic firm Boston Dynamics, it also became the owner Big Dog, a four-legged giant robot that can climb muddy hills. Google has managed to built a smaller version of the giant Big Dog robot and also released a two-minute clip showing the same.

It clearly showed that Spot is an improved and swifter version of the Big Dog. In the video, Spot is also shown going for jog. It is an electric-powered, hydraulically actuated robot. The video also shows some employees kick the dog, which forces it to change the direction. While Google may be trying to show the capabilities of the robot, these parts of the video seemed really disturbing.

Google unveiled a surprise corporate overhaul earlier this year forming Alphabet, a holding company that will include Internet search and a handful of independent companies, such as the research arm X Lab, investment unit Google Ventures and health and science operations.

From anti-trust regulators to better efficiency, there are several reports citing various reasons what has possibly compelled Google to do so.