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Boston Dynamics Spot SDK

ROS / ROS 2 · SDKs

Boston Dynamics Spot SDK

Spot SDK 4.1·Boston Dynamics

Active Open source API available
CATEGORYROS / ROS 2 · SDKs
READINESSTRL 9
ADOPTION SCALEProduction – Broad Deployment
LICENSESBSD-3-Clause
FIRST RELEASE2020

The Boston Dynamics Spot SDK is the official developer package for the Spot robot (quadruped mobile robot, ~32 kg, up to 1.6 m/s, IP54). The SDK exposes all public capabilities of the robot via a gRPC over TLS interface: motion control (RobotCommandService), state telemetry (RobotStateService), video streams from five fisheye cameras (ImageService), the Spot Arm manipulator (ManipulationApiService), GraphNav mapping and navigation (GraphNavService), autonomous missions (MissionService), payloads (PayloadService), and the Spot CAM PTZ.

The primary language is Python 3.8+ (packages `bosdyn-client`, `bosdyn-api`, `bosdyn-mission`, `bosdyn-choreography-client` on PyPI), with an optional C++ SDK and Java SDK for enterprise applications. Communication: gRPC + Protocol Buffers, authorization via App Tokens (JWT) with per-service permissions. The robot exposes an endpoint on port 443 (HTTPS) with a self-signed certificate. Control latency ~30–100 ms (depending on WiFi/Ethernet); local payload compute (Spot CORE i7 or CORE AI with Jetson Orin) enables sub-20 ms feedback loops.

Additionally: Choreographer (graphical motion sequence editor, known from the viral videos), Orbit (cloud fleet management platform for Spot fleets), Scout (legacy web app), Spot Extensions (Docker containers running on Spot CORE AI). The SDK also supports ROS 2 via the official `spot_ros2` driver (community-maintained by Clearpath / Boston Dynamics AI Institute). License: BSD-3-Clause for the SDK; the robot itself requires a commercial agreement (developer license included with Spot Explorer at ~USD 75–90k).

Documentation
Type & Roles
Software types
Robot manufacturer SDK
SDK

An SDK (Software Development Kit) is a curated set of libraries, interfaces, tools, sample code, and documentation intended for building applications and integrating with a specific hardware device, platform, or service. In robotics, an SDK typically exposes device control, telemetry, sensor access, configuration, and execution functions, significantly reducing the time-to-first-integration for developers targeting a specific robot or platform.

API Library

An API Library is a software package that exposes programmatic interfaces for communicating with a device, service, or system. In robotics it typically forms a lightweight integration layer built on top of the manufacturer's official API or an open-source project, abstracting low-level protocol details and providing language-native bindings (Python, C++, Java, etc.).

Select an item to see its description.
Main category
SDKsDrivers & FirmwareControl & Planning
Roles in robotics ecosystem
Robot ControlDevice IntegrationAPI AccessMotion PlanningTeleoperationDeveloper Enablement
Software family
Family

A family of official SDKs and APIs provided by robot manufacturers: Boston Dynamics (Spot SDK), ABB (RobotStudio), KUKA (RSI / KUKA Sunrise), Universal Robots (URCap / RTDE), Agility Robotics (Digit SDK), Apptronik (Apollo SDK).

Maturity & Adoption
9 / 9
Proven in operational conditions
ResearchPrototypeProduction
Adoption scaleProduction – Broad Deployment
Maintenance statusActively Maintained – LTS
First release2020
Last update20 May 2026
Deployments

Security patrols in BMW and Hyundai Motor Group factories, offshore platform inspections (BP, Shell), structural monitoring (Foster + Partners), stadium construction inspections, police special units (New York Police, Massachusetts State Police — controversially). Pilots in nuclear power (EDF, TEPCO Fukushima). Spot with Spot Arm performs simple manipulation (opening doors, operating valves). Over 1,500 units sold by 2024.

Community

github.com/boston-dynamics/spot-sdk ~2.6k★, ~570 forks. PyPI `bosdyn-client` ~80k downloads/month. Active Boston Dynamics Support Center forum (dev.bostondynamics.com), Discord community of ~3k members, ~120 official Spot Extensions on GitHub.

Organizations
Integrates with
R2
ROS 2
Open-source framework for building robot software. The successor to ROS 1, built on DDS with native support for distributed, real-time and multi-platform systems. The de facto standard in research and commercial robotics.
→
R2
ROS 2 Humble Hawksbill
LTS release of the ROS 2 framework based on Ubuntu 22.04, supported through May 2027. The most widely deployed release in humanoids, AMRs, and research platforms. Full integration with Nav2, MoveIt 2 and ros2_control.
→
R2
ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco
ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco — the latest LTS (May 2024, supported until May 2029) on Ubuntu 24.04. C++17, Fast DDS 3.0, improved executors, RMW Zenoh, better QoS for variable networks.
→
N
Nav2
The professionally-supported successor to the ROS Navigation Stack — a production-grade navigation framework for mobile robots, quadrupeds, and AGVs. Behavior Trees, planners (Smac, NavFn, Theta*), controllers (MPPI, RPP, DWB), AMCL, costmaps.
→
M2
MoveIt 2
Open-source motion planning, manipulation, and kinematics framework for ROS 2 (Foxy → Jazzy). Stewarded by PickNik Robotics. The de facto standard for manipulators in the ROS ecosystem.
→
O
OpenCV
Open Source Computer Vision Library — the most widely used open-source computer vision library (> 4000 functions). Initiated in 1999 by Gary Bradski at Intel; today maintained by the OpenCV Foundation.
→
P(
PCL (Point Cloud Library)
An open-source C++ library for processing 3D point clouds — filtering, segmentation, registration (ICP), 3D features, surface reconstruction. Initiated at Willow Garage in 2010.
→
C
Cartographer
An open-source 2D / 3D pose-graph SLAM library. Created at Google in 2016 (Wolfgang Hess et al.). Supports 2D and 3D LiDAR with IMU integration and a cartographer_ros package for ROS / ROS 2.
→
NI
NVIDIA Isaac ROS
NVIDIA Isaac ROS — collection of GPU-accelerated GEM packages for ROS 2: stereo depth, AprilTags, pose estimation, cuVSLAM, object detection on Jetson and x86 CUDA. Foundation of the NVIDIA robot perception stack.
→
Related robotics software
AR
Agility Robotics Digit SDK
The official SDK for the Digit humanoid robot (Agility Robotics). Agility Arc cloud + JSON-RPC API + Python/C++ clients. Logistics-focused: pick & place, totes, pallets, integration with WMS/MES. ROS 2 support.
→
AA
Apptronik Apollo SDK
An SDK for the Apollo humanoid (Apptronik) — a general-purpose platform for manufacturing and logistics. Skill-based programming, Gemini Robotics integration (DeepMind). Partners: Mercedes-Benz, GXO, NASA.
→
F
FourierSDK
FourierSDK (Fourier Intelligence) — official SDK for controlling Fourier GR1/GR2 humanoids: Python/C++ API for kinematics, gait, manipulation and teleoperation, with ROS 2 and simulation environment support.
→
US
Unitree SDK2
Unitree SDK2 — cross-platform Unitree Robotics SDK (C++/Python) for controlling Go2/B2 quadrupeds and G1/H1 humanoids over CycloneDDS. Supports ROS 2, torque/position control, AI-enable payload and autonomy.
→
R2
ROS 2
Open-source framework for building robot software. The successor to ROS 1, built on DDS with native support for distributed, real-time and multi-platform systems. The de facto standard in research and commercial robotics.
→
N
Nav2
The professionally-supported successor to the ROS Navigation Stack — a production-grade navigation framework for mobile robots, quadrupeds, and AGVs. Behavior Trees, planners (Smac, NavFn, Theta*), controllers (MPPI, RPP, DWB), AMCL, costmaps.
→
M2
MoveIt 2
Open-source motion planning, manipulation, and kinematics framework for ROS 2 (Foxy → Jazzy). Stewarded by PickNik Robotics. The de facto standard for manipulators in the ROS ecosystem.
→
ROS supportCompatibility with ROS / ROS 2 ecosystem
Official Vendor ROS 2 WrapperOficjalny wrapper ROS 2 tworzony i utrzymywany przez producenta sprzętu lub oprogramowania
Community ROS 2 WrapperWrapper ROS 2 tworzony i utrzymywany przez społeczność, nie przez producenta
System capabilities
⊙
Open source
Source code is publicly available under an open-source license — enables security audits, custom modifications, and integration without licensing barriers.
✓
⚡
Real-time capable
Designed with timing-determinism guarantees — meets the requirements of control loops, safety systems, and tasks demanding low, predictable latency.
×
⟨/⟩
API available
The software exposes a programmable interface (REST, gRPC, SDK, or language bindings) that enables automation and integration with other systems.
✓
📦
Pre-built / binary
Distributed as ready-to-use binary packages, container images, or installers — no need to build from source.
✓
Programming languages
PythonC++
Operating systems
Ubuntu 22.04Ubuntu 20.04DebianWindowsmacOS
Minimum hardware requirements
Minimum hardware requirements
CPUDual-core x86-64 ≥ 1.8 GHz or ARM64 (Jetson Orin Nano+); the client SDK is lightweight. The onboard Spot CORE i7 or Spot CORE AI (Jetson Orin) handles payload compute.
RAM (GB)2
GPUOptional for ML inference in the payload (e.g., object detection on Spot CORE AI with the Jetson Orin GPU).
Disk (GB)1

Requires WiFi 5/6 or Gigabit Ethernet to the robot. Python 3.8–3.12. The Spot Explorer robot costs ~USD 75–90k; Spot Enterprise ~USD 150k.

Packaging & distribution
Package managers
pip / PyPIGitHub Releases / GitHub Actions ArtifactsDocker / Docker Hub
CPU architectures
x86_64 (AMD64)ARM64 / AArch64NVIDIA Jetson – AArch64 (JetPack)
Installation difficulty
LevelModerate
Protocols and interfaces
Communication protocols
gRPCREST API (HTTP/HTTPS)WebSocketWi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)Ethernet / TCP-IP
Hardware interfaces
Ethernet 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen 1
Latency classes
Soft Real-Time (20–100 ms)Soft Real-Time (100–500 ms)
Deployment types
Local WorkstationEdgeCloudContainerizedHybrid
Supported simulators
NVIDIA Isaac Sim
Gazebo Harmonic
Official Docker images
ros:humble-desktop
Licenses
BSD-3-ClauseBSD 3-Clause Licensev3-Clause

License family: Permissive

ModificationDistributionCommercial useSublicensingPrivate useROS-compatibleOSI approvedFSF Free/LibreRequires attribution
Official text ↗SPDX ↗OSI ↗
Version history
Spot SDK 4.1Sept 2024

Athletic manipulation support (dynamic grasping), improved GraphNav 2.0.

Spot SDK 4.0Sept 2023

Orbit fleet management API; new network compute bridge for ML inference.

Spot SDK 3.2Sept 2022

Choreographer 1.0, Spot Extensions (Docker containers on Spot CORE AI).

Spot SDK 3.0Sept 2021

Spot Arm (6-DOF manipulator) integration, ManipulationApiService, Spot CORE I/O.

Spot SDK 2.0Nov 2020

Added GraphNav (autonomous navigation), MissionService, Spot CAM PTZ support.

Spot SDK 1.0Jun 2020

First public SDK release alongside the commercial availability of Spot Explorer.