Case Study: Hamburg Port Authority achieves autonomous bridge inspection with Boston Dynamics Spot

Hamburg Port Authority - Customer Case Study

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) manages the critical infrastructure of Germany's largest seaport, including the heavily trafficked Köhlbrand Bridge. Their challenge was conducting regular structural inspections inside the bridge's dark, dusty, and confined cavities, a task that was time-consuming, required multiple personnel, and exposed workers to a harsh and hazardous environment. HPA partnered with Boston Dynamics to explore a solution using its agile mobile robot, Spot.

Boston Dynamics, with systems integrator Roboverse Reply, implemented a solution where the Spot robot was programmed to autonomously navigate the bridge's interior. The robot captured LiDAR data and imagery to create a digital twin, enabling remote inspections of defined points of interest. This innovation allowed Spot to work autonomously for days, relieving the HPA team from the unpleasant task. The successful project proved the technical feasibility of using Boston Dynamics' robot for this application and opened the door for its use in other port inspection and safety tasks.

Hamburg Port Authority

Uli Baldauf

Head of Research and Development