British man buys robot dogs to search hard drive with 7500 BTC

An investor who accidentally threw away the device in 2013 could not get help from the local authorities, so he turned to Boston Dynamics

26.07.2022 - 08:10

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What’s new? British investor James Howells, who accidentally threw away his hard drive with 7500 BTC (about $158 million at the Binance rate as of July 26) in 2013, decided to buy two robot dogs from Boston Dynamics to search for him at a city landfill. Each of the robots costs $75 000 and will be named Satoshi and Hal, reports Business Insider. Previously, the unsuccessful crypto investor tried to find the drive with the assistance of government agencies but received refusals.

Business Insider

How did events develop? Howells threw out the hard drive containing assets while cleaning out his office. He had made several requests to Newport City Council, Wales, over the past few years to set up a large-scale search of the landfill, but officials refused him each time, citing environmental concerns that would follow the excavation. He was turned down even when he offered the authorities 25% of the found assets.

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot became available for purchase in 2020. According to Howells’ plans, he needs two robots to take shifts to continuously scan the area without interrupting the process for the time it takes to recharge the battery. He said he worked with advisors to develop the search plan, with funding provided by unnamed venture capitalists. A total of $11 million is planned for the search.

The future robots’ nicknames — Satoshi and Hal — refer to Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin, and Hal Finney, the programmer who also stood at the origins of the network’s launch and received the first-ever BTC transfer.

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