Trimble releases turnkey autonomous robotic scanning solution

Trimble has announced the release of the Trimble^® X7 3D laser scanner and Trimble FieldLink software fully integrated with Boston Dynamics’ Spot^® robot. This exclusive turnkey solution from Trimble, jointly developed with Boston Dynamics, facilitates autonomous operation on construction sites and takes advantage of the robot’s unique capabilities to navigate challenging, dynamic and potentially unsafe environments. Trimble’s 3D data capture technology, integrated with Spot, enables a continuous flow of information between the field and the office for consistent, on-going documentation of jobsite progress.

The integration is focused on the automated capture of field construction data through the use of Trimble 3D capture technology and the Spot robot. The autonomous workflow for the X7 laser scanner uses fully integrated Spot robot controls in FieldLink software to create a predefined path of waypoints for Spot to follow and collect laser scans. The data collection missions can be scheduled to run on a regular and consistent basis for design validation and progress reporting. The advantage of this combination is increased efficiency and real-time, as-built data analysis in the field and in the office.

Laser scans collected using the X7 scanner and the Spot robot can be tied to a jobsite project coordinate system, as well as individual scan stations. The data is collected, and then made into a composite point cloud in real-time on the Trimble tablet controller before leaving the site. While performing autonomous operations, Spot’s docking station enables the in-field charging of batteries on both the robot and the X7 3D laser scanner, and also provides the continuous transfer of data through a Gigabit Ethernet connection to the office.

www.trimble.com