Image: Boston Dynamics

Spot

Boston DynamicsProgress tracking & quality inspection

Legged robot that walks repeat capture routes on construction sites, climbing stairs with a scanning payload

18
Deployments: 15
Companies that ran it

How it works on your site

Spot is a battery-powered, four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics that walks construction sites over rough ground and up stairs, carrying a partner's laser scanner or 360° camera. It walks a taught or recorded route again and again to capture progress data at the same points, while the comparison against the design model runs in partner software such as Trimble FieldLink, Avvir, HoloBuilder or DroneDeploy. At BAM Nuttall's Kergord converter station in Shetland, Construction Briefing reported that Spot was run remotely from as far as Finland over a private 5G network, though a person on site still had to open the gates because no Arm was fitted. Spot is shipping and has worked on construction sites since 2019.

BIM-to-Field Comparison (Scan-vs-BIM), Daily Walkthrough and Progress Documentation, 3D Scanning and Point Cloud Capture

Image: Boston Dynamics

Field outcomes

1 of 5

Image: Boston Dynamics

BAM Nuttall began using Spot in January 2022 at the Kergord HVDC converter station in Shetland, fitting it with a Trimble X7 laser scanner to measure floor slab flatness and monitor progress, and operating it remotely over a private 5G network.

Kergord HVDC converter station (55,176 m²), UK

SpotBAM Nuttall
Image: Boston Dynamics

Hensel Phelps piloted Spot with HoloBuilder's SpotWalk app at San Francisco International Airport's Harvey Milk Terminal 1, using Spot to perform reality capture of construction progress onsite after a little training.

SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 ($1.2B), USA

SpotHensel Phelps
Image: Boston Dynamics

Mace and Heathrow Airport were trialling Spot, fitted with a Trimble X7 scanner, to take 3D laser scans during Mace's refurbishment of a 1960s cargo tunnel at Heathrow Airport.

Heathrow cargo tunnel refurbishment (owner Heathrow Airport), UK

SpotMace
Image: Boston Dynamics

Balfour Beatty began using Spot with a Trimble X7 laser scanner at its Derby site at the end of 2021; on its first solo fieldwalk it completed a 12-scan setup in 18 minutes of scanning time.

Derby site, UK

SpotBalfour Beatty
Image: Boston Dynamics

Virginia Tech (owner), with Procon Consulting (owner's rep), ran a yearlong study using Boston Dynamics' Spot to monitor progress on campus capital construction sites, including the Creativity and Innovation District Residence Hall and Holden Hall.

SAPC, Creativity and Innovation District Residence Hall, Holden Hall, USA

Spot

Who has run it

18 deployments · 15 companies · 2 countries

Will it work on your site

Site Preparation: Open doors, turn on lights, remove hazardsClear cords from the route; add lighting where dark
Control Interface: 8 in tablet app and Orbit desktopField crews also use Trimble, DroneDeploy, HoloBuilder apps
BIM/CAD Requirements: None stated for Spot itselfModel comparison runs in partner software (Avvir, Trimble, DroneDeploy)
Fleet Management: Orbit, Boston Dynamics fleet softwareOrbit 5.0 adds 360° Site View, over-the-air updates

As the maker states it.