Intel Foundry Deploys Boston Dynamics’ Spot Robot and RealSense Depth Cameras to Deliver Smarter, Safer Inspections
The challenge
With expansive facilities and high-stakes manufacturing environments, Intel Foundry must ensure rigorous inspection standards across thousands of checkpoints to maintain operational excellence while ensuring worker safety.
The solution
Robison had a solution and, in June 2023, introduced Boston Dynamics’ agile quadruped robot, Spot®, into several of Intel Foundry’s fabs. These robotic units navigate complex environments, identify inspection targets and stream data back to Intel’s centralized monitoring systems
Spotlight on Intel Foundry
Intel Foundry, a dedicated business unit within Intel Corp., automates daily facility inspections using Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. The robot performs various inspections, equipped with RealSense cameras, thermal cameras, acoustic imagers and lidar.
Impact:
Continuous Autonomous Monitoring Delivers Efficiency and Insight at Scale
Since deployment began, 14 Spot units have been operating across six Intel Foundry facilities, with a target of 30 units by year-end.
Fostering Human – Robot Collaboration on the Factory Floor
The integration also fostered a cultural shift. At first, the presence of robot dogs in the factory raised eyebrows – either because employees thought they were strange or were straight out of a gaming platform. To ensure acceptance and appreciation of Spot, Robison and Mumme led robot demonstrations in Intel facilities, enabling employees to see the robot in action.
“The RealSense cameras are easily the most reliable and seamlessly integrated with the robot, they never falter, and they’re excellent for depth perception and hazard avoidance, which enables the robot’s autonomous capability, as well as the livestream,which helps us manage these robots across the globe remotely.”
— Jacob Mumme, ICS IoT and Robotics Engineer at Intel Foundry