Boston Dynamics plans to offer SpotMini robot for sale in the near future

Science fiction is coming to life in front of our eyes. Robots can jump, catch their balance, open doors and run, and soon we'll be able to buy some of these advanced models (assuming we have enough money). 

The company Boston Dynamics released a video Thursday of its Spot Mini robot navigating a maze of hallways with ease, turning through doors, avoiding obstacles, and climbing and descending stairs, and announced on Friday that it plans to manufacture the doglike robot for sale in the near future. 

At TechCrunch's TC Sessions: Robotics 2018 forum at UC Berkely on Friday, Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert said the SpotMini is in preproduction now. The company plans to build 100 models later in the year as a prelude to ramping up production by the middle of 2019. 

Raibert said the company is not saying yet what the price will be. He said the current model is 10 times cheaper to make than its earlier version, and he thinks they can reduce the cost further, although they have to negotiate how to balance savings with reliability. 

You can see the full interview in the video below. 

The company has astonished millions of viewers over the past months with its videos of robots performing acrobatic feats previously reserved for living organisms with advanced nervous systems. On Thursday, the company (or one of its robots) published a new video to YouTube showing the humanoid Atlas robot taking a jog outside. 

The robot was no speed demon, but it probably did more running than you have this week, and it looked pretty comfortable doing it. Confronted with a log in the way, it hopped over. 

For years, real-life robots weren't much to look at compared to their science fiction counterparts. But now it's starting to get fun — or creepy, depending on your perspective. 

Maybe someday, when science fiction is science fact and robots are doing all our work for us, they can also take us outside to get some fresh air. 

Boston Dynamics developed as a spinoff from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where it developed the first robots than maneuvered like animals, according to its website. 

The company has a stable of robots that include Atlas, SpotMini (the one that climbs stairs), Handle (has wheels, also jumps), Spot, LS3, WildCat, BigDog, SandFlea and Rhex.