Cargill’s Amsterdam Multiseed plant hums with the steady beat of oilseed processing, a vast setup where sunflower oil flows through a tangle of machines. A four-legged robot dog called Spot now roams these spaces.
Spot’s job at Cargill sounds straightforward: check the gear, watch the gauges, and spot safety snags. In just two hours, it zips through a round that would drag on for a human, pulling in steady, top-notch data every time. “At Cargill, we’re aiming to let our operators tackle problem-solving instead of grunt work,” says Bálint Medgyesi, a robotics whiz at the plant. “Spot can do this every hour, always at the same distance, always with the same solid data—and that’s huge for us.”
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Loaded with sensors and cameras, Spot glides over the facility’s tricky layout—tight corridors, messy floors, and gear-cluttered paths—with no sweat. Its knack for reliable data collection has already paid off. Once, its thermal scans caught a ventilation glitch: bearings swung between a cool 40°C and a blistering 100°C daily. “We’d have missed that without Spot,” says ter Wisscha, a Cargill tech. The robot’s regular checks showed the lubricant thickening under heat, a fixable issue that could’ve jammed the system if ignored.
Beyond gear checks, Spot doubles as a safety watchdog, a big deal for Cargill. Using Boston Dynamics’ Orbit software, recently juiced up with AI-powered visual checks, it hunts for risks like seed spills, ajar emergency exits, or misplaced fire gear. “For us at Cargill, safety tops the list—not just for people, but for food too,” says Kassios, a plant overseer. “We’re dodging slip-ups, trip hazards, and anything sketchy in the facility.”
Setting up Spot mixes human savvy with robotic accuracy. Techs use a multitouch tablet to steer it around, pinpointing inspection spots and tasks like snapping pics or reading meters. Once programmed, Spot runs these “Autowalks” on its own, powered by its battery and unbothered by the plant’s tough conditions. It mostly works second and third shifts on weekdays, plus all shifts on weekends, dodging peak human hours. This timing boosts efficiency while keeping disruptions low, letting cleaners and workers zero in on their main gigs.
Cargill’s dream of a “Plant of the Future” leans hard on autonomy, and Spot is a key player in that vision. “We want plant ops to run on their own, shifting operators from reacting to planning ahead,” says plant boss Martin Blommestijn. By handling rote tasks, Spot frees staff for predictive fixes and big-picture thinking. Its data flow uncovers details human eyes might skip, letting techs track readings week to week. “With Spot on board, we’ve got data to compare with last week or yesterday,” Blommestijn adds. “I rest easier knowing it’s on night duty.”
Boston Dynamics views Spot’s run at Cargill as a blueprint for industrial automation. “Spot is sparking digital shifts for hundreds of clients,” the company highlights on its site, stressing the robot’s knack for reliable, useful data in tough spots. At Cargill, that means fewer hands-on checks and more time for operators to call the shots. The pilot is still growing, with ideas to add sharper sensors or AI tools to boost its foresight.
