Boston Dynamics' Robot Dog Is Back at Work! Norwegian Oil Company Even Gave It a Work Number

Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot dog and internet celebrity in the AI world, recently got a new job. It will join Aker, a Norwegian oil and gas exploration company, and will be responsible for inspection work. It has also been given a work badge and work number for the first time.

On February 11, at the Norwegian oil company Aker's annual investment meeting, the company's CEO showed the audience a new employee, the robot dog Spot, and said it was the company's first robot employee.

The robot dog Spot will officially go to sea this year to patrol oil and gas production ships and complete tasks such as troubleshooting, hydrocarbon leak detection, collecting equipment data and generating safety reports.

And this job is just the starting point of Spot's career.

From Internet celebrity to blue-collar worker, Spot the robot dog's first job

Spot is a quadruped robot launched by Boston Dynamics in 2016. It can walk autonomously, is equipped with sensors such as cameras, and can also be equipped with robotic arms to perform delicate operations such as grasping.

In 2018, Spot became a new internet celebrity due to its viral spread on YouTube.

Compared with the previous showmanship, this official appointment has delivered a result in terms of practical use.

According to Aker, Spot will work with other types of robots, including drones, to help maintain equipment on oil extraction vessels and accelerate the digitalization of the oil industry.

According to the test video released earlier, Spot has completed the maneuverability test in a simulated oil and gas environment. It can adapt to a variety of extreme dangerous environments. It is also small and flexible and can enter small and complex spaces.

Spot's built-in system can control its legs and balance, and the obstacle detection camera can be used to identify railings and steps, and go up and down stairs autonomously. The front, rear and side cameras can ensure Spot's navigation, autonomous action and all-round movement.

In addition to its outstanding athletic capabilities, Spot is equipped with a variety of AI algorithms that can intelligently analyze and detect dangers in construction environments. For example, it can detect whether instruments are operating normally based on visual information and diagnose machine failures through sound judgment.

It is reported that before it is officially put into use, Aker will work with industrial AI software service provider Cognite to conduct more detailed operational tests on Spot to ensure that it runs well in subsequent work and improves production efficiency while operating safely.

An Aker spokesperson also made it clear that Spot is not the last robot to receive an employee number, as such robots do not get tired and have strong adaptability and data collection capabilities.

Spot will also be involved in the construction industry

Entering the oil industry is not Spot's first full-time job.

Since September 2019, Boston Dynamics has begun to put Spot on the market for commercial use through leasing or sale.

In order to adapt to different tasks, Spot can be equipped with 4 hardware modules to change its skills as needed. At the same time, Spot also provides an open API, and users can use software to customize Spot's functions.

Spot officially received a full-time job in November 2019. At that time, the robot dog was committed to the construction company Holobuilder to conduct internal surveys of buildings and help generate panoramic graphic data.

Holobuilder is a company that combines panoramic images, computer vision recognition, and AI technology to provide engineers with immersive on-site construction scene solutions. Usually, it is necessary to take comprehensive photos of the actual construction site to generate a panoramic image.

Spot's specific skills allow it to completely take over this job, saving manpower and improving efficiency.

When in use, after training the driving route through the accompanying App, Spot can use sensors and automatic technology to bypass obstacles on the route, move freely throughout the construction site, and draw a detailed digital map.

The collected image information will be analyzed by the AI engine to analyze and track the progress of the construction site.

Previously, Spot has participated in the construction of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport and played an important role in the construction process of the project.

In addition to safety production, I also worked on RoboCop

Earlier, Spot was also requisitioned by the US police to assist police in investigating suspicious packages and checking areas where dangerous suspects may exist.

In August 2019, the Massachusetts Police Department's bomb disposal squad leased the Spot robot dog from Boston Dynamics to perform security maintenance and law and order management work.

During the three-month rental period, Spot will be used to conduct remote patrols, reducing the risk of police officers being on duty and cracking down on illegal and criminal activities safely and thoroughly.

It is said that the local state police tested Spot for half a year before officially putting it into use.

The police did not release specific details of Spot's work, but claimed that it had participated in many operations. However, the use of Spot has still caused some controversy, and some people are worried that this move will lead to the emergence of violent weaponization of robots.

For this reason, Michael Perry, vice president of Boston Dynamics, said in an interview that they have always maintained a cautious attitude towards the military/police use of robots, and ultimately decided to cooperate in the form of leasing rather than selling.

He also said that there were rules agreed upon by both parties in the lease: the robots must not be used to harm or intimidate others.

Overcoming difficult tasks, robot dogs are moving forward

Whether it is used for equipment inspection in oil extraction, in the construction industry, or for security tasks in public security management, Spot is moving from a generation of Internet celebrity to a doer.

At the Web Summit 2019, Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert pointed out that the company’s purpose is toInstead of creating household robots that interact with people, they focus on industrial robots that help humans handle difficult tasks.

Perhaps, challenging difficult tasks in real work and replacing workers in dangerous environments are where robots and AI can show their strengths.

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