The CIO's primary focus during this pandemic-induced work-from-home stretch has been to keep hardware healthy and data safe. But in America's factories, warehouses and distribution centers, where "work from work" is almost always the only option, the technology directives understandably center on protecting human capital. You might think the recipes for success between the two scenarios are very different. But it might surprise you to learn that many of the ingredients are very similar. Fortunately for Trilogy Health Services, which runs 28 senior living facilities across four midwestern states, the company already had nearly 80 percent of its 15,000 employees on its internal communication app when the virus hit.

To help make the process faster and cheaper, Ford recently sought the help of a four-legged robot dog made by Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. "It's a huge breakthrough for us," said Mark Goderis, digital engineering manager at Ford. The robot, nicknamed "Fluffy" by one of Ford's digital engineers, weighs 70 pounds and is equipped with five cameras that give it 360-degree vision, letting it observe what's in front of it and avoid obstacles. It can climb stairs and stabilize itself on slippery surfaces and metal grates using optimization algorithms. It can also access hard-to-reach areas within the plant, as long as they are at least 2 feet wide. The robot dog, officially called "Spot" by Boston Dynamics, costs $74,500.

To help make the process faster and cheaper, Ford recently sought the help of a four-legged robot dog made by Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. "It's a huge breakthrough for us," said Mark Goderis, digital engineering manager at Ford. The robot, nicknamed "Fluffy" by one of Ford's digital engineers, weighs 70 pounds and is equipped with five cameras that give it 360-degree vision, letting it observe what's in front of it and avoid obstacles. It can climb stairs and stabilize itself on slippery surfaces and metal grates using optimization algorithms. It can also access hard-to-reach areas within the plant, as long as they are at least 2 feet wide. The robot dog, officially called "Spot" by Boston Dynamics, costs $74,500.

A Ford plant in Michigan has enlisted two Boston Dynamics robots to aid in laser scanning the plant as it's prepped for updates, Ford announced yesterday. The robots, nicknamed Fluffy and Spot, will roam the Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Dearborn, MI on four legs, much like a dog would. However, unlike their furry counterparts, these robots are equipped with five cameras, can perform 360-degree scans and are able to climb stairs for hours. Ford is leasing the Boston Dynamics Spot robots (although you can buy them for $75,000) and deploying them in early August. Fluffy and Spot will scan the plant so engineers have an updated model of what the floor looks like, as changes have been made over the years that may not have been documented, said Mark Goderis, Ford's digital engineering manager.