| | | |

Spot at Ontario Power Generation

Automating Circuit Breaker Tripping and Racking

September 14, 2023

There are an estimated 30,000 instances of arc flash each year in the United States alone, and one to two fatalities occur daily in North America. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has five Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots deployed throughout their Enterprise Innovation division.

In 2022, the team sought to see if Spot’s dexterous arm could be used to assist in tripping and racking out a 600 volt breaker—an activity that is high risk for arc flash. Now, Boston Dynamics engineers have taken this application to the next level by fully automating the procedure.

Spot can perform the entire operation autonomously, with a human issuing high level commands safely out of harm’s way.

More Information

Spot

Related Story

What’s New in Spot Release 3.3
Spot at Ontario Power Generation

Lights, Camera, Sensing! The industry standard for dangerous and routine autonomous inspections just got better, now with a brand new set of features and hardware.

Boston Dynamics announces brand new features and hardware for Spot, an industry standard for dangerous and routine autonomous inspections. Critical industrial tasks like thermal monitoring, acoustic leak detection, and gauge reading are made easier through our automated inspection solutions.

Related Articles

Latest Articles

  • The Power of OMRON’s Sysmac Studio: Unify Automation and Integrate Safety

    November 7, 2025 By Omron Automation Industry moves fast. Outpace obsolescence with OMRON’s Sysmac Studio. Designed to empower operations from the edge to the cloud, it unifies automation by prioritizing safety and security. Built for today, ready for the future. Today, the factory floor faces pressure from suppliers, consumers, competition, and emerging technologies. Operation teams are looking… Read More…

  • Don’t Serve Before Tasting: A Lean Approach to Gated Management for SME Product Launches

    November 6, 2025 By Swathi Mohan, Leanacle Inc. Ever tried serving dinner before tasting it? That’s what many small and mid-sized manufacturers unknowingly do when they rush a new product into production. On paper, everything looks perfect: BOMs finalized, fixtures designed, suppliers lined up. But the first batch rolls out, and suddenly the “dish” tastes wrong: tolerances don’t hold, costs… Read More…

Featured Article

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, the need for efficient and flexible material movement solutions has never been greater. Traditional methods like conveyor systems, forklifts, and manual pushcarts have served us well, but they come with limitations.

That’s why Omron is thrilled to announce the launch of their game-changing MD Series of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Read more

Products

  • ABB Introduces Ty-Rap® TyGenic™ Antimicrobial, Detectable Cable Ties in Canada

    November 19, 2025 ABB is expanding availability of its Ty-Rap® TyGenic™ antimicrobial detectable cable ties to Canada. The industry’s first two-piece cable ties help reduce the risk of contamination in environments where cleanliness and detection are essential such as food and beverage processing, healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing. ABB’s Ty-Rap® cable ties safely secure everything from… Read More…

  • WAGO Broadens Power Distribution Terminal Block Line

    November 18, 2025 WAGO, the innovator of spring pressure connection technology, has expanded its TOPJOB® S Power Distribution Terminal Block portfolio. The newest addition features a 4 AWG input in a 0.5-inch compact design, significantly reducing the required footprint on the DIN rail. Both the 2216 and 2016 Series are UL 1059 certified and rated… Read More…