See how Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot helps Michelin

It’s been four years since the robot wizards Boston Dynamics They announced that their dog-like robot, Spot, is ready to go.

During this time, the four-legged robot was tested in various roles in various companies, including Ford plant mappingsafety inspections at the Kia auto plant and radiation studies for Dominion Energy.

His latest feat came at the Michelin plant in Lexington, South Carolina, where tires and light trucks are made. A video (above) released by Boston Dynamics on Wednesday shows Spot moving around the site performing various tasks as part of the pilot program.

“We were like kids at Christmas when we first got Spot,” said Wayne Pender, Michelin’s reliability manager, whose job is to ensure that all equipment in the plant operates at optimal efficiency.

Ryan Burns, also a reliability manager, said it’s important to anticipate equipment failures early to avoid plant shutdowns. Spot helps by scanning 350 locations with a thermal camera to see if any parts are overheating or operating differently. Using specially developed software called Orbit, Spot processes the data and sends it to its operators for final analysis. If an anomaly is detected, a technician is dispatched to analyze the situation before making a final decision on how to respond.

“From a technical standpoint, going out to Spot and doing these routes eliminates the routine task that humans do,” Burns said. “By finding these anomalies and these problems, the technician has more time to go out and plan how they’re going to fix the problem, rather than going out and identifying and then trying to plan and schedule everything.”

Burns added that it would be ideal to have more Spots across the facility so the company can improve its inspection procedures, leading to increased efficiency and increased production.

Boston Dynamics continues to develop Spot and improve its capabilities through several pilot programs and partnerships in the United States and abroad.