Robotic dog will be on patrol in Pompeii

The nearby volcano blackened the sky and swallowed the city in clouds of ash; centuries later, robot dogs now prowl the ruins, guarding the city's dead against the ravages of time. Boston Dynamics' robot dog, Spot, will help archaeologists and preservation crews by patrolling the 66-hectare site for signs of erosion, damage, and looting. The volcanic ash that buried Pompeii in 79 CE turned a thriving Roman coastal city into a well-preserved tomb--and a time capsule. Today, the archaeological site is one of the most famous in the world, and it continues to reveal new glimpses of life in a cosmopolitan Roman city during the empire's heyday, like an ancient fast-food counter excavated in 2020. But in 2013, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) found that erosion and weathering were taking a toll on the parts of the site archaeologists had excavated so far. To protect the ruined city and keep restoration workers safe, park authorities needed to find new ways to monitor for damage, restore ancient structures, and preserve them for the future.