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Nov 13 (Reuters) - Boston Dynamics' dog-like robot 'Spot' is
learning new tricks.
Working on an oil rig operated by BP Plc nearly 190
miles (305 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, the company is
programming Spot to read gauges, look for corrosion, map out the
facility and even sniff out methane on its Mad Dog rig.
Adam Ballard, BP's facilities technology manager, said tasks
performed by Spot will make the work on the rig safer by
reducing the number of people. It also will free up personnel to
do other work.
"Several hours a day, several operators will walk the
facility; read gauges; listen for noise that doesn't sound
right; look out at the horizon for anomalies, boats that may not
be caught on radar; look for sheens," Ballard said.
"What we're doing with Spot is really trying to replicate
that observation piece," Ballard said, adding that an operator
could then review the information from a central location.
Spot also has an integrated gas sensor that is programmed to
shut the robot down if it detects a methane leak.
"We believe a lot of that up-front, remote work preparation
can be done with a remotely-controlled robot... being able to
pan, tilt, zoom and really understand the entire area in real
conditions, real time," Ballard said.
Boston Dynamics does not release terms of its sales
agreements with companies, but the Spot robot model can be
purchased for $74,500.
BP hopes in the future to expand Spot's data gathering
capability to augment areas where humans are limited.
"We've got multispectral imaging that basically you can see
many bands across that spectrum... to be able to see things that
the human eye can't see," said Ballard.
(Reporting by Catherine Koppel; editing by Diane Craft and
Rosalba O'Brien)
