Spot’s autonomous inspection capabilities could benefit the oil and gas industry

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dog has successfully detected a potentially hazardous gas leak at a midstream gas plant during an autonomous inspection.

Small, pinhole gas leaks can cause explosions and are a major hazard in the industry. Spot’s autonomous inspection capabilities could prove a selling point for its deployment in the oil and gas industries.

For this inspection, Spot was equipped with an array of sensors to capture data for plant monitoring. These included visual and thermal cameras, a MUVE C360 gas detection sensor and navigation capabilities that enabled it to autonomously roam the 40-acre facility.