Boston Dynamics, Spot, ready for their next assignment

Boston Dynamics expanding Spot’s duties on construction sites

Boston Dynamics Commercializes Spot Quadruped Robot

Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped launched in September 2019 through the company’s Early Adopter Program. With mounting rails, payload ports, and an open-source software development kit, developers can create custom methods of controlling the robot, design payloads that expand the capabilities of the base robot platform and integrate sensor information into data analysis tools.

Spot autonomously accomplishes industrial sensing and remote operation needs, while carrying payloads with endurance far beyond aerial drones. Early adopters are in a range of industries, from construction to energy utility, public safety, mining, and entertainment.

Focusing on construction to the next level, Boston Dynamics partners with Trimble exclusivity to sell and support the Spot robot with integrated scanning, total station, and GNSS technologies for the construction market. Specifically, the integrated solution will add Trimble’s data collection sensors and field control software to the Spot robot. The companies said this will enable the automation of tasks such as site scans, surveying, progress monitoring, and more.

This system is expected to be available by the second quarter of 2021 through Boston Dynamics, Trimble, and select BuildingPoint and SITECH distribution partners. It will be sold in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Customers involved in Trimble’s Early Experience Program could have the chance to preview the development of the solution in advance of general availability.

“The integrated solution will enable any job site leader to deploy Spot and Trimble technologies to get an accurate view of construction progress through real-time data collection,” said Michael Perry, vice president of business development at Boston Dynamics. “With a more comprehensive view of site activity, project managers can take proactive measures to ensure on-time, on-budget, and safer project delivery.”

Spot used 3D laser scanning tech to capture and monitor construction progress. The robot made regular precision scans of the site, checking that the building work done matches the architectural plans and that everything is going smoothly. The usual scanning and processing times required for this sort of project have been reduced from weeks to just days, says Foster + Partners, freeing up significant staff resources.

Additionally, through building sites are very hazardous places, the robot can navigate stairs and other obstacles using its four legs without issue, and either work semi-autonomously or be controlled by a remote (it’s also worth mentioning that Spot has been used on a Japanese building site, so it’s not like it’s totally new to construction uses).

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