Boston Dynamics and Google Bring Gemini AI to Spot Robot for Smarter Facility Inspections

Boston Dynamics has partnered with Google Cloud and DeepMind to integrate Gemini and Gemini ER 1.6 into Boston Dynamics’ Orbit AIVI-Learning. 

 

AI visual inspections (AIVI) are a way for Orbit, Boston Dynamics’ fleet management and data analysis software, to complete tasks based on images collected by Spot, Boston Dynamics’ four-legged mobile robot.  

 

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 enables robots to understand their environments through reasoning capabilities such as visual and spatial understanding, task planning and success detection. It can execute tasks by natively calling tools like Google Search to find information, vision-language-action models (VLAs) or any other third-party user-defined functions. 

 

It also has a new capability: instrument reading, enabling robots to read complex gauges and sight glasses. 

 

Boston Dynamics and Google are focusing on instrument reading with this collaboration, stemming from facility inspection needs. Spot is able to visit the instruments throughout the facility and capture images of them.   

 

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 achieves its instrument readings by using agentic vision, which combines visual reasoning with code execution. 

 

This integration expands the possibilities for industrial inspection, allowing facilities to collect valuable visual information and receive alerts about conditions on their site, according to Boston Dynamics.