Ross Grant works for BAM Nuttall as an Assistant Engineer on our SSEN Transmission Shetland HDVC Link project. He joined us after finishing his degree in 2018 and has since found his feet working with new applications and tech on-site. He has been instrumental in trialling Boston Dynamic’s agile mobile robot Spot with the Trimble X7. Ross, who has used Spot as a tool to complete his day-to-day tasks, takes a look at what this technology can achieve for us in the future.
The BAM Nuttall team on my project in Kergord, Shetland have been working with our friends over at Boston Dynamics and Trimble, to combine the X7 Trimble scanner and the mobile robot “Spot”. We have been effectively operating these technologies, to work in our busy site environment to bring us realised benefits.
Leaving University in 2018, I could not have imagined that my path would lead me here today, writing a blog about working so closely with an autonomous robot, that looks like something out of Black Mirror, who can perform point cloud surveys, manoeuver obstacles at will and be operated from my home in Glasgow! Spot can be set up on a mission and scan at different locations completely autonomously without the need for an engineer to be there with the scanner.
In practical terms for us on site, this means we can set up Spot for an hour-long scan in whatever location we require and focus on another piece of work, having full faith that Spot will effectively gather all the data we need. Spot has a 90-minute battery life at present however, working closely with Boston Dynamics, we have been looking at measures to extend this. In the meantime, we have come up with a plan with Boston Dynamics and Trimble to construct an automated ‘kennel’ out on site which we could use in tandem with the remote operation feature – meaning Spot would take itself to be charged when needed.
Starting in this industry 16 months ago, I would have been shocked to be told that I would be involved in making construction history so early on, however that is now a reality. Working with Boston Dynamics and Trimble, we became the first to remotely control Spot via a privately controlled 5G network on a construction site, something that would have sounded very alien to me when I first started this journey. 5G networks are going to play a huge part in our future as 5G can enhance our use of technologies such as Spot and reaffirms efforts to make engineering accessible.
It is clear to me the many benefits Spot can bring to our role as engineers: surveying different locations; creating point cloud data; using software like Autodesk recap and Navisworks to explore data; scanning autonomously for hours, freeing up time on site; deploying Spot after site hours to increase productivity – and all this is before you even consider the endless benefits it will bring to safety.
We could attach CO2 meters to the robot which could be sent into confined spaces or recently blasted locations. Not only this, Spot also works as an extra set of legs which can manoeuver potential unsafe terrain and has the key benefit of being able to work in an area under mweps/cherry pickers/ scissor lifts. This is massive for us engineers as it would give us the ability to scan areas where overhead work is being conducted, saving the time of everyone involved and ensuring no one is in harm’s way. Due to the remote control feature, the 5 cameras built into Spot and the mounted camera we have attached, we could even use Spot as a fire protection method – allowing Spot to double check the area and make sure none of our colleagues are in danger.
I have been at the forefront of technological advances up here in Shetland working with a variety of new tech, but the health and safety aspects of our four-legged friend stand out. Spot is a glimpse into the future of engineering, as we continue to strive towards working more effectively in our construction industry and, more importantly, making our work environment as safe as possible.
In our near future, I can see the potential to have a robot like Spot on multiple sites throughout BAM. We’ve seen the many benefits it can bring to site, here in Shetland - and if it can keep our people safe and boost efficiency in our ways of working, then I’m sure many projects will welcome the extra pair of hands (or in this case: robotic legs).
