Enhancing Spot’s stability on challenging terrain

Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped robot has proven to be both versatile and agile, capable of navigating diverse terrains and obstacles. However, in some environments, we’ve observed occasional (literal) missteps where Spot treads into holes or voids slightly larger than its foot, creating a challenge for the robot to manage.

While Boston Dynamics is continually enhancing Spot’s ability to detect and avoid negative obstacles like voids, there’s still a chance one might be missed, especially in tight spaces where mobility is restricted, and Spot needs to maneuver carefully.

In one case, this was a significant concern for a client. Their workspace had numerous obstacles, specifically linear floor grates running perpendicular to the robot’s path. This narrow area presented a higher risk—Spot could potentially step between two railings and stumble. Although Spot is adept at maintaining its balance, this posed a risk that we needed to address. If a rail bent, Spot’s foot could get stuck, or worse, a stumble might cause contact with sensitive equipment along the path.

Assessing risk for seamless implementation

Part of our service offering at Osedea is to assess risk when implementing innovative technologies such as Spot. In this client’s case, we needed to ensure there was a solution to this problem before deployment. That’s when we got to work on a custom solution.

Adding bumpers to Spot’s feet

Our approach was to design and add bumpers to the sides of each of Spot’s feet. These bumpers, positioned slightly offset from the bottom of Spot's feet, would catch on edges if the robot stepped into a void, allowing Spot to adjust its movements accordingly. In normal conditions, the bumpers wouldn’t interfere with Spot’s agility or mobility. To bring this concept to life, we used Boston Dynamics’ 3D models of the foot assembly and engineered an interlocking part to fit securely on each end cap. A threaded rod extended through the assembly to keep everything tight and stable.

Proving the concept with testing

Our initial tests demonstrated that this solution could successfully mitigate the chances of Spot tripping or getting stuck, ensuring it could reliably traverse the challenging route required to perform its inspections.

Collaborating on customized solutions

Osedea specializes in creating proof-of-concept solutions with Spot, tailoring its functionality to your business needs. Interested in seeing how Spot can work for your business? Send us a message—we’d love to discuss how we can collaborate!