THE future is here. A four-legged robot, named Spot, has been trialled on Australia’s biosecurity frontline.
Minister for agriculture and northern Australia David Littleproud said Spot had been trialled at the Port of Darwin undertaking a container inspection and at Jabiru, where the robot took part in mine rehabilitation and research activities.
“Move over Muster Dogs, this robotic canine can carry up to 14 kilograms of inspection gear and has 360-degree perception capability and sensors to collect biosecurity data. I believe it can also muster sheep and climb stairs,” Mr Littleproud said.
He said in Darwin, biosecurity officers used Spot in a trial inspection of a cargo container to detect planted biosecurity risk materials.
“This tested Spot’s infrared night vision and ability to inspect the container’s underside,” Mr Littleproud said.
“At the Ranger Mine, Spot surveyed flora at a revegetation site, including identifying weeds and looking for signs of returning wildlife. Spot was also fitted with a gamma sensor and conducted radionuclide counts over a mine rehabilitation site.”
Mr Littleproud said robots can decrease safety risks for our staff and boost our tools to keep Australia safe from biosecurity threats.
The robot can travel at speeds of up to 1.6 metres per second, or six kilometres per hour.
The $34,000 pilot was funded by the Innovation Pilots Team and is part of the government’s commitment to explore robotic aptitude and new technologies to bolster Australia’s biosecurity risk detection capabilities.
