1. What is Boston Dynamics?

 2. Who is Andy Rubin?

 3. How many robotics companies has Google bought in the last six months?

 4. For what characteristics are Boston Dynamics' robots known?

 5. From para. 8: "Google executives said the company would honor existing military contracts, but that it did not plan to move toward becoming a military contractor on its own." What do you consider the biggest pro and con to Google designing and running robotic programs for the U.S. military?

 6. What do some of the other robotics companies Google has purchased specialize in doing?

 7. a) What major information about Google's purchase of Boston Dynamics does the company decline to reveal?

b) According to Forbes, "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Google provides information on every person, place and event. Do you think they should be more transparent about the purchase prices of these companies and/or of what they intend to do with them, or is this confidential company business? Explain your answer.

8. Forbes also reports: "The fact is that Google, like AT&T, IBM, and Xerox in previous decades, has monopoly-like profits that it can use to do research into areas that go far beyond its current business. Whether robots or self-driving cars or wearable computers become significant businesses for Google is less important than the fact that today, it’s willing to spend the big bucks to push forward in these seemingly unrelated areas. One of them may well turn out to evolve into something that helps Google’s current business or redefines it in a coherent, profitable way. But we can’t know yet."
Consider the success Google has had with its various projects (e.g. GoogleMaps satellite images and street view)
How do you view Google's acquisition of robotics companies and the possibilities it might hold for the future: with enthusiasm or dismay? Explain your answer.