Hyundai Motor Group’s four-legged robot ‘Spot’ deployed at UK nuclear decommissioning site to handle high-risk tasks

[Financial News] Spot, the quadruped robot developed by Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics (BD), has been deployed in the United Kingdom for nuclear facility decommissioning work.
According to industry sources on the 11th, Sellafield, a state-owned company under the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), revealed that Spot is being used at nuclear decommissioning sites. In these high-risk environments, the robot performs tasks in place of human workers.
Sellafield is a state-owned company responsible for decommissioning nuclear facilities and managing radioactive waste in the United Kingdom. Because of radiation exposure and complex internal layouts, it operates many high-risk work environments where human access is restricted.
The Spot units deployed on site are fitted with a variety of detection sensors and functions tailored to nuclear facility environments. Thanks to their high mobility, they can move stably through complex structures, including rough terrain and stairways.
Spot also carries out radiation characterization work, measuring gamma and alpha radiation to determine the presence of radioactive materials. Recently, it successfully completed trial sampling operations to check for radioactive contamination inside the facility. Because Spot can remain on site longer than humans and continue inspections, overall decommissioning work has accelerated since its introduction, Sellafield explained.
Sellafield began trial operations of Spot in 2021 and went on to verify its operability in complex environments through 2022 and 2023. In 2024, it started using Spot for inspection tasks even in high-risk radiation zones, collecting high-quality on-site images and radiation data. Last year, it also carried out the UK nuclear sector’s first successful remote demonstration of Spot outside a licensed power station site, confirming the potential for fully remote operations that separate workers from the site.
Sellafield plans to work with partners to equip Spot with new sensor packs, enabling it to take on a broader range of tasks such as radiation mapping and environmental characterization.
eastcold@fnnews.com Kim Dong-chan Reporter