Viral Video Of Google Robot Dog Named Spot Slammed By PETA Over Animal Abuse

IN PHOTO: A visitor looks at a robot figure from the movie 'the Terminator', inside the house where Austrian actor, former champion bodybuilder and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was born, in the southern Austrian village of Thal, October 7, 2011. Schwarzenegger officially opened a museum dedicated to his life in the house on Friday. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer Reuters/Herwig Prammer

Boston Dynamics has introduced the new Google robot dog named Spot in a YouTube video titled “Introducing Spot.” While Spot is not a real dog, PETA slammed the video for apparently encouraging animal abuse.

Since its publication on Feb. 9, Monday, the video has reached more than 3 million views. The video shows some Boston Dynamics employees delightedly smiling while Spot catches its balance after being kicked -- apparently to show how it uses a sensor that enables it to walk and navigate.

In particular, the kicking of Spot irked animal rights activists. In a statement, PETA said they will not “lose sleep over this incident” and noted that “most reasonable people find even the idea of such violence inappropriate,” CNN reported.

According to the military robotics company, Spot can be used both indoors and outdoors. Weighing 160 lbs., Spot is the most agile and leanest Boston Dynamics canine robot. It runs on an electric motor that runs the hydraulic actuators that control a mechanical system’s movement.

A subsidiary of Google, Boston Dynamics is based in Waltham, Mass. Google purchased it in December 2013 for an undisclosed amount. It has yet to comment on the accusation of encouraging animal abuse. Watch Google robot dog Spot’s viral video titled “Introducing Spot” here: