Spot, the internet-famous Boston Dynamics robot dog, just landed its first job at a Norwegian oil and gas company.The robot will survey an oil and gas production vessel, according to Bloomberg.Since last September, Boston Dynamics has been making Spot available for commercial lease. This looks to be the second organization to take the robotics company up on the offer, after a bomb squad in Massachusetts.Spot the Dog—the robotic viral sensation known for opening doors, climbing steps with ease, and even taking clean dishes out of the dishwasher—has just landed a full-time gig as an inspector at an oil and gas company in Norway.At some point this year, the Boston Dynamics robot will begin patrolling Aker BP’s oil and gas production vessel at the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea, Bloomberg reports. There, it will run inspections, look for hydrocarbon leaks, and put together reports based on the data it collects.Like This? Then You’ll Love This Story.The Boston Dynamics Robot Dog Joins a Bomb SquadAker BP, which is highly invested in digitizing the oil and gas industry, wants to use Spot to make offshore operations safer, the company said during a presentation of the robot in Oslo today. According to Bloomberg, Aker BP will run the tests with software controlled by its parent company.“These things never get tired, they have a larger ability to adapt and to gather data,” Kjetel Digre, Aker BP’s senior vice president for operations, told Bloomberg. CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik hinted that he was “pretty sure” more robots will eventually join the operation. Boston Dynamics has been making Spot available for commercial lease since September 2019. In that time, a Massachusetts police department has also hired Spot to join its bomb squad, prompting some pushback from the American Civil Liberties Union.More RobotsThis Robot Can Lend a Helping Hand With RepairsReckoning with Japan’s 60-Foot Tall Gundam RobotThe Robots That Could Lead to Better Suction CupsOn its website, Boston Dynamics promotes Spot for use in construction, public safety, oil and gas applications, and even entertainment. That said, this definitely won’t be the last time a robot dog lands a job. Courtney LinderDeputy EditorBefore joining Pop Mech, Courtney was the technology reporter at her hometown newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied English and economics. Her favorite topics include, but are not limited to: the giant squid, punk rock, and robotics. She lives in the Philly suburbs with her partner, her black cat, and towers upon towers of books.
