Spot, the first robot dog operating in Brazil, is the newest member of the world leader in clean and renewable energy generation Itaipu Binacional. The company based in Foz do Iguaçu (PR) has acquired two units of the equipment, which will be used for critical infrastructure inspection tasks in hazardous environments.
The cyber dogs will provide more efficiency thanks to 5G technology and will prevent people from being exposed to these risky situations. Presented at the Digital Transformation Summit Brazil 2023, held last Tuesday (15) by Qualcomm, the technology arrives in Brazil through a partnership between the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI), the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI) and Petrobras.
The robot dogs have AI and sensors for different functions.
The robot dogs acquired by the Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant are capable of reacting immediately to the detection of anomalies in critical areas and to monitoring commands. The technology is equipped with artificial intelligence, microphones, 360-degree cameras and sensors that will be connected through a 5G industrial network, enabling real-time responses. All this with intuitive navigation through a tablet.
Unlike robots with wheels or treadmills, the robot dog's legs allow it to move much faster on different types of surfaces, avoid obstacles and recover from falls.
Stone piles, split levels, concrete surfaces, wire mesh stairs, among others, are some of the areas the team will be able to access. At each location, Spot will be able to perform gas detection meter readings, acoustic anomalies and thermal inspections.
Not surprisingly, the robot dogs are also trained to act as first responders in emergency rescue situations, such as debris areas. Thanks to their capabilities, Spot will be able to gather prior information that can be vital in preparing human responders.
New technology also boosts 5G industrial networks
The arrival of the Spot robot dog in Brazil also has as one of its main objectives the promotion of 5G industrial networks in the country. During the Digital Transformation Summit Brazil 2023, Igor Calvet, president of ABDI, said: And based on much of what we have done at ABDI, connectivity is the main precondition for the digital transformation of industry. Without this enabling technology, any outcome will always be far from ideal."
To welcome the robot dogs, PTI has inaugurated a private 5G network that will undergo various tests to validate connectivity, range and infrastructure compatibility. "The goal of ABDI's partnership with PTI is to develop a business model for each application scenario, demonstrating the technology's performance and cost-effectiveness. The Agency's intention is to encourage the adoption of technologies based on 5G connectivity by the domestic industry," explained Igor Calvet, president of ABDI.
PTI's director of technologies, Alexandre Gonçalves Leite, highlighted that the project will improve the use of part of the competencies in asset monitoring and supervision, in the implementation of use cases with business modeling projections and Industry 4.0. "It is through actions like this that the institution has the opportunity to contribute to the generation of research, innovation, solutions and technologies for social welfare," said the director, on the importance of the initiative for the use of corporate 5G in the country.
And Brazil should soon receive more units of the robot dog. More examples of the equipment are expected to be delivered to the research structure on Fundão Island, in Rio de Janeiro, to be tested by Petrobras. The objective is to study the risk reduction, productivity increase and technological disruption that the new equipment can bring.
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