Developed by Boston Dynamics Inc., the robot is set to start patrolling Aker BP’s oil and gas production vessel at the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea this year, testing its ability to run inspections, detect hydrocarbon leaks, gather data and generate reports.
“These things never get tired, they have a larger ability to adapt and to gather data,” Kjetel Digre, Aker BP’s senior vice president for operations, said in an interview. The company’s Chief Executive Officer Karl Johnny Hersvik said he was “pretty sure” Spot wouldn’t be the last robot to get an employee number.
This is basically an intelligent security dog with diagnostic capabilities. It seems like a good use of the technology since it’s non-lethal. I wouldn’t be surprised if this “frees up” the work of a few staff members.
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