Fans would be amused to see how far Shaquille O’Neal has come from his orthodox views on tech to his recent All-Star appearance. Remember when he swore modern advancements had to be the work of aliens? The idea that humans went from sending messages via pigeons to communicating with just a few clicks was just too much for him to believe. Fast forward to his latest NBA All-Star appearance, and it looks like Big Diesel has fully embraced the future.

Shaquille O’Neal made a grand entrance with an AI-powered robot by his side for NBA All-Star Live. A video shared on X captured the moment, showing a robotic dog confidently leading Shaq as he walked in for the broadcast. So, what exactly is this futuristic machine?

Meet Spot. According to Robots Guide, this four-legged robot can navigate its surroundings, climb stairs, open doors, and even fetch a drink. It looks like Shaq has found himself a new high-tech best friend!

For those unaware, Spot has been around since 2016, but just last year, it got a major upgrade that allows it to ‘play fetch’. Imagine telling a robot to grab something for you, and it actually does it. Sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie, right?

But there’s more to this than just cool tricks. Last October, a study published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters introduced a game-changing system called “Clio.” This method allows robots to scan their surroundings in real-time using on-body cameras and focus only on the objects relevant to their assigned tasks.

So how does it work? Clio relies on the “information bottleneck” theory, which helps a neural network—basically a machine-learning brain—filter out unnecessary data and store only the most important details. This means that if a robot gets a command like “find the first aid kit,”  it won’t waste time scanning the entire room. Instead, it will zero in on the relevant objects and ignore everything else.

To put Clio to the test, researchers at Live Science used the Boston Dynamics Spot robot itself, equipping it with this new system. The robot successfully mapped out an office building, identified important objects, and completed its tasks in real-time.

Impressed already? Wait till you hear more about this cool doggo robot that accompanied Shaquille O’Neal on TNT.

Spot helped the $46.74 Billion automobile brand address its data blind spots

Ever tried putting together a giant puzzle with missing pieces? That’s what BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant near Birmingham, England, faced when dealing with the massive amounts of data generated during engine and component assembly. Identifying blind spots in that data wasn’t just tricky—it was a time-consuming challenge, according to Boston Dynamics.

But now, things are changing. With digital twin technology and Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped robot, BMW is finally making sense of all that data and using it to its full potential.

As The Robot Port reports, the factory previously hired contractors to inspect air leaks using specialized equipment. If BMW’s own maintenance team had taken over, it would have meant spending hours away from crucial maintenance and repairs. That’s where automation stepped in.

Now, a team member can simply control Spot using a tablet, sending the robot wherever needed for on-the-spot inspections. And it’s not just walking around—it’s working smart. Spot is equipped with a thermal camera to check temperatures, a Fluke SV600 acoustic sensor to detect air leaks, a 360° camera for full visibility, and a lidar for precise 3D scanning.

One smart doggo for sure. And now seeing Spot in action with Shaquille O’Neal makes you wonder—could robotic pets become the new norm? If so, it won’t be a surprise if we see Big Diesel grabbing one for himself, considering his previously expressed interest in Tesla Bot.