Dogs are known for wandering off into areas they shouldn’t.
But one four-legged friend is being encouraged to venture into places where humans should not be going.
And, in a reversal of roles, it is the people who are being trained to follow the dog’s lead.
Spot is surveying and monitoring areas of the Dounreay nuclear site that are not considered suitable for staff.
Pack of dogs ready to work at Dounreay
The robotic quadruped from Boston Dynamics is spending a year on the Caithness site undergoing trials.
In fact there are three Spots on site, including one that carries equipment to measure radioactive contamination on surfaces.
Dounreay and Createc, the systems integrator for Spot, are working together on a series of seven possible uses for the robot.
A dedicated Createc employee is based on site to initially lead the projects, and will train Dounreay staff to use the ROV (remotely operated vehicle).
Spot has the ability to climb stairs, avoid obstacles, and move over rough ground, allowing it to monitor and collect data in hazardous areas.
Another of its tasks at Dounreay is to use LIDAR (also known as 3-d laser scanning) to create an external survey of the site’s facilities.
Dounreay is being decommisioned in a major operation which includes recovering radioactive waste from a number of areas.
Heather Fairweather, the innovation team’s project manager for the work, says that trials will demonstrate the multi-tasking value of the ROV, and its ability to carry out practical work.
She said Spot will be carrying out mainly surveying and monitoring work in parts of the site including confined spaces and contaminated areas.
Robot dog will not replace site staff
It is not being trialled as a replacement for staff, but as a tool that protects them from hazards.
“Spot is not just a gimmick. it’s a practical tool that we can use to survey and monitor in areas where people should not or cannot go,” she says.
“We are investigating all the ways that we can use the ROV so that we can get the most out of it.
“I believe that this is the way forward where operators can minimise their dose rates but still get the job done.
“It’s not to replace operators, but to help them.”
The work at Dounreay is being co-funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as Spot is being deployed across the NDA estate to help deliver group-wide benefits from the innovation.
It builds on the recent deployment of Spot at Sellafield as part of efforts to move staff further away from harm and decommission more efficiently.
The robot dog has been used in a number of industries, including construction, mining the National Grid and has even the New York police.
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