Remotely operated robot dog carries out site survey in Shetland

In a trial led by BAM Nuttall, Spot was equipped with a Trimble X7 3D laser scanner, and both were controlled remotely using a private 5G communications network covering the 55,176m² site, marking the robot’s first 5G deployment in the UK.

Remote operation proved the robot could take on days of manual surveying work and operate in areas and conditions hazardous to people.

Spot was deployed as part of a 5G testbed funded by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. BAM Nuttall led a consortium, with Attocore and BRE, to create a private 5G stand-alone network on a remote construction site in Shetland and employ several new technologies and review their benefits for construction.

In a statement, Brian Ringley, construction product manager for Boston Dynamics said: “This project is… exactly the kind of application where a robot inherently makes sense and can immediately add value. It also shows that we can operate Spot effectively from hundreds of miles away and collect very reliable, repeatable data. It keeps staff from needing to travel to remote and hazardous locations, and it makes the entire surveying project run more efficiently.”