who's a good boy? robotic dog just one perk of connected workforce

Robots are the new best friend throughout Chevron’s worldwide operations, with a cyborg dog being piloted to help improve efficiency and employee safety.

Spot, a plastic yellow canine with a camera for a head, is just one of the numerous technologies we’re using as part of our connected worker program.

We rolled the program out to ensure the roughly 30,000 connected workers using our operational technology systems have access to field data, whether they’re working on the other side of town or on the other side of the world.

“Our goal is to arm the connected worker with the new devices and systems that enable easier and more natural access to information, expertise and workflows to improve efficiencies and provide a safer operating environment,” said Miranda Palmisano, Chevron’s connected worker and extended reality product owner. “This is not just one platform. It is an ecosystem of technologies.”

Cutting-edge technologies are improving the way we work. We recently used Microsoft HoloLens^® to ensure a pregnant employee could safely perform her duties during her third trimester. Here are some other examples:

• One tool we’re using simplifies the process of measuring the thickness of corrosion on the elbow of a pipeline. It digitizes the measuring process and cuts the time required to complete the job in half.
• A 3D modeling software lets us virtually see changes to existing landscapes before installing new equipment. This technology helps us navigate around conflicts during the design phase and spared us a $500,000 loss at our El Segundo Refinery.
• We’re also using a wearable Bluetooth device (which is still being piloted) that allows field workers to communicate clearly and safely in loud environments.

• Digitally linking workers with our assets helps us lower our carbon intensity, keep workers safe and operate more strategically. The technologies reduce carbon output by using real-time data to optimize working conditions.
• The connected worker approach keeps field workers safe through clear, instantaneous communication.

Spot the dog wasn’t designed to fetch slippers; instead, he’s being programmed to perform routine operator duties and provide real-time facility scans of our El Segundo Refinery. Our employees can bark orders at him from remote locations, instructing him to open a door or zoom into a particular area.

Spot, who was created by an external company, has yet to be fully deployed at our facilities as testing is ongoing.

Microsoft Hololens is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.