Robot dogs are protecting data centers. Operators are seeing payoffs.
Data center operators are using four-legged robots for perimeter checks and equipment inspection rounds.
Read the original at Business InsiderSecurity and inspection robots
What patrol robots do, and what they need from people.
Wheeled and legged patrol robots carry cameras and sensors on a fixed route and report back to a person. They extend a security or maintenance team's reach; they do not replace its judgment. Here is what they carry, where they fit, and where their limits are.
What a patrol robot carries
The robot is a moving sensor platform. What it can notice depends on what it carries.
Cameras
Day and low-light video for live viewing and recording.
Thermal imaging
Heat signatures: people in the dark, overheating equipment, small fires.
Audio
Microphones and a speaker for two-way conversation with a remote operator.
Mapping sensors
Lidar or depth cameras to follow the route and avoid obstacles.
Gauges and meters
On inspection robots, cameras that read dials and sensors that detect leaks or vibration.
Wheels or legs?
Wheeled robots
- Efficient on pavement and smooth floors
- Longer battery life
- Simpler to maintain
- Struggle with stairs and curbs
Legged robots
- Climb stairs and step over obstacles
- Handle gravel, grates and clutter
- Shorter runtime per charge
- More complex to maintain
Where they fit
Patrol robots work best on repetitive rounds over large areas, at hours when people are scarce.
| Setting | Typical task |
|---|---|
| Parking areas and yards | Night rounds, checking for people and vehicles where they should not be. |
| Fence lines | Long perimeter checks that are tedious for people. |
| Warehouses after hours | Checking doors, aisles and dock areas. |
| Substations and plants | Thermal and gauge readings on a fixed inspection route. |
| Data centers | Repeated equipment checks and perimeter rounds. |
Know the limits
Being honest about limits prevents disappointment and unsafe expectations.
- A robot can report a problem, but a person still has to respond to it
- Weather, glare and poor connectivity reduce what it can see and send
- It follows its route; it does not investigate on its own judgment
- It needs charging, cleaning and software updates like any other equipment
Recent in patrol and inspection robots
Short summaries of recent reporting, with links to the original articles.
ANYbotics adds door access for ANYmal inspection robots
A legged inspection robot can now open unlocked doors and request entry through locked ones using a site's existing access-control system, so the same permissions and audit trail apply to robots as to staff.
Read the original at IT Brief UKFour legs, high-tech: How BC Hydro is using robotics to improve safety
A Canadian utility explains how it uses a legged robot to keep workers out of hazardous spots during equipment checks. This is the utility's own news release.
Read the original at BC HydroHeadlines are quoted as they appear at the source; summaries are our own. Follow the links for the full reporting.