Visitors watch Boston Dynamic’s four-legged robot Spot performing a dance at the exhibition hall of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group at the CES exhibition on opening day in Las Vegas, in this Jan. 5, 2022, (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Korea Zinc Co., a leading non-ferrous metal smelting company, said Tuesday it has adopted Spot, a four-legged walking robot developed by Boston Dynamics of the United States, to improve on-site safety at its plant in Onsan.
Equipped with ultrasonic sensors, infrared cameras, gas detectors and acoustic sensors, Spot will patrol 466 inspection points throughout the facility in Onsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The robot’s responsibilities include detecting abnormal equipment temperatures, identifying gas leaks or chemical spills and preventing collisions in vehicle movement zones.
Korea Zinc said it plans to expand Spot’s deployment later this year to areas with higher risks of gas exposure and asphyxiation.
“Spot is currently undergoing autonomous navigation training in our refining and smelting processes. Once stable operations are confirmed, we plan to expand deployment across other facilities,” a Korea Zinc official said.
Spot is already in use at global institutions and companies, including the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), BMW and French tiremaker Michelin.
(Yonhap)
