Case Study: Virginia Tech improves construction site inspections with Boston Dynamics Spot

Virginia Tech researchers are exploring how Spot can improve operations at construction sites

Researchers from Virginia Tech, in partnership with Procon Consulting, sought to address the high rate of construction projects that fall behind schedule and go over budget, a problem often stemming from time-consuming and error-prone manual inspections. To explore a solution, they partnered with vendor Boston Dynamics to test their Spot robot for autonomous data collection on active construction sites.

The solution implemented by Boston Dynamics involved using the Spot robot to autonomously conduct weekly site inspections, capturing comprehensive 360-degree imagery. This provided more precise and regular data collection than manual methods, saving human workers time and allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. The research validated that Boston Dynamics' Spot is capable of improving inspection accuracy and has the potential to enhance safety by working in dangerous conditions.

Virginia Tech

Kereshmeh Afsari

Assistant Professor