Robot dog patrols ancient city of Pompeii

A robot dog has been enlisted to patrol the streets of the ancient city of Pompeii looking for structural and safety issues.

Spot will be able to guard the archaeological park and seek out problems at night or whenever the site is closed to tourists.

The four-legged robot is able to reach the smallest of spaces and walk on different types of terrain.

With its camera it can record a live feed of images for people monitoring the ruins off-site.

Pompeii was an ancient city in Italy, which became buried in ash and mud when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

Pompeii is an important archaeological site

This volcanic ash covered many items and people, perfectly preserving them for thousands of years. From the remains of Pompeii, archaeologists looking at the site are able to learn lots about how the people there lived.

The Pompeii Archaeological Park authorities say Spot will be used to check out tunnels made by relic hunters or grave diggers who dug under the ancient city to steal artefacts.

Although the tomb raiders have been unsuccessful since 2012 due to a crackdown by police the tunnels are still being found.

Spot is one the alert for any problems in the ancient city of Pompeii

The tunnels could be dangerous for people to enter but Spot should be able to sniff out any structural problems so they can be dealt with.

As well as the robot dog the park is employing a flying laser scanner capable of taking 3D scans of the archaeological site.