| | | |

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

  • Tariffs – Can You Look Within? 

    February 12, 2025 OPINION By Swathi Mohan, Founder of Leanacle Inc. I was standing backstage at a company townhall, running through my talking points, but my mind was elsewhere. Will they be engaged? Will they relate to what I’m saying? What if I lose them halfway through?  The more I thought about it, the more anxious… Read More…

  • What is a Robotic Subsystem?

    What is a Robotic Subsystem?

    February 11, 2025 In robotics, a subsystem refers to a distinct functional unit within a robot, each responsible for specific tasks that contribute to the robot’s overall operation. Understanding these subsystems is crucial for designing, analyzing, and optimizing robotic systems. This guide delves into the primary subsystems commonly found in robots, detailing their components and… 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

  • POSITAL Announces Ultra-Heavy-Duty Absolute and Incremental Rotary Encoders

    February 12, 2025 POSITAL has introduced a new series of IXARC rotary encoders designed for applications where high shaft loadings may be encountered. With heavy-duty housings and shaft bearings, these units are designed to withstand radial shaft loads of up to 350 N (80 pounds) and axial loads as high as 250 N (56 pounds),… Read More…

  • POSITAL Announces Upgrades to IXARC Incremental Rotary Encoders

    February 12, 2025 Higher resolution opens possibilities in new application areas POSITAL has enhanced its IXARC family of incremental magnetic encoders, increasing the maximum resolution to 32,768 pulses per revolution (PPR). This upgrade includes new phasing options, offering a choice of wider index (Z) pulses, making it easier to replicate the features of older encoders… Read More…