Robot “dog” deployed for geothermal power plant maintenance in Onikobe, Japan
The robot quadruped "Spot" at the Onikobe geothermal power plant in Japan (source: TECO)
Carlo Cariaga
8 May 2025
The Onikobe geothermal power plant in Japan has started using a robotic quadruped, "Spot," from Boston Dynamics for automated power plant inspection.
Tohoku Enterprise Co Ltd (TECO), the domestic partner company in Japan of Boston Dynamics, has published a video highlighting the use of the robotic quadruped “Spot” to augment the maintenance activities at the Onikobe geothermal power plant, operated by Electric Power Development Co. Ltd (J-Power) in Osaki city in the Miyagi Prefecture.
In April 2023, J-Power resumed operations of the Onikobe geothermal power plant following a multi-year rehabilitation plan. At this facility, the control room that manages the power plant is separated from the plant itself, which meant that if an abnormality were to occur within the plant, it would take time for workers to get to the site to confirm the situation.
As part of its initiative for smart safety practices through digital transformation, J-Power deployed Spot in 2022 to support operational activities at the Onikobe geothermal power plant by conducting automated data gathering around the power plant facilities. This has helped reduce workload, centralize the collection of large volumes of data, and ensure worker safety.
As the video demonstrates, Spot is capable of thermographic analysis, acoustic analysis, and can convert gauge readings to digital data. Thus, it can detect thermal anomalies on equipment, unusual vibrations and noise on pumps and pipes, and upload all the data in a cloud-based server that can be accessed remotely. Spot can be automated to travel though pre-programmed routes and perform scheduled tasks.
Hitoshi Nakatomi, Director of the Onikobe Geothermal Power Plant, recounted that the robotic unit was named “Onippy” by a first grade student from the local Onikobe Elementary School.
Takashi Fuchi, Lead of the Spot program, added that they plan to further enhance the capabilities of the Spot unit so that it can be used for remote education and training.
Check out the feature video published by TECO below:
Source: Tohoku Enterprise via PR Times
