(This episode is a rebroadcast of an interview we did in 2020.) Brian Ringley is the Construction Technology Manager Boston Dynamics. Much of his work centers on the Spot robot. You could call it an “agile mobile robot” or a “quadraped.” Or you could just call it a robot dog. But it’s more than just a robot dog, and it’s more than just an agile quadraped. It’s a platform for all kinds of functions. Spot can carry various payloads that serve a range of functions:
- Autonomous laser scanning
- Continuous site monitoring with continuous 360-degree video
- Examination of environments that are radioactive or otherwise dangerous to humans
In short, Spot can provide the large data sets that allow project managers to employ some of the more ambitious AI solutions that are now available. Brian shares about a Boston Dynamics
partnership with Drone Deploy. We discuss some unexpected applications of Spot, including some work in the entertainment industry:
Brian walks us through Spot’s abilities and limitations, explaining how much human guidance is needed for various functions. He’s clear about the fact that Spot won’t fix all of the challenges with BIM, but he discusses how integrations with things like
Avvir show promise. We discuss the social aspects of robots like Spot, including how people respond when they first encounter a robot like this one. Eddie shares that his initial reaction when he saw Spot was, “That’s cool, but what would I do with that?” Brian discusses the fact that Spot can help contractors pay subs more quickly by verifying the status of their work. (Tyler makes the connection between this insight and our interview with
Pete Dumont.) As you can imagine, this technology is advancing all the time. If you’re interested in seeing an update on the Spot developments (since this interview was recorded in 2020),
check out this video. Brian’s Megaphone Message: Don’t confuse technology problems with business model problems. Businesses will benefit when they intelligently take on risk where there’s a potentially substantial reward. Find Brian online:
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Construction Brothers