A mobile robot made by Boston Dynamics called Spot has been brought to York Minster in collaboration with Historic England. Spot can be remotely piloted, allowing the human operator the chance to assess a building’s condition from a safe distance.
Brought to York Minster with the hope of preventing similar events such as the fire in 1984, Historic England says that Spot could help “safeguard” heritage sites.
“Spot can handle rough terrain, stairs and can even re-balance if he is knocked over, all of which would be skills needed if responding to a disaster on the scale of the 1984 fire,” a Historic England spokesperson said.
The Historic England team also use a laser scanner, mounted on the robot dog’s back, which scans millions of points and could be used to show the state of the building in detail – without the need for humans to set foot inside.
Jon Bedford, principal geospatial surveyor at Historic England, said: “When disaster strikes a historic building, every minute counts. Our robot dog and drones can quickly and safely enter potentially dangerous areas, giving us detailed 3D models and images of what’s happening inside.
“Having used these tools in many varied high-risk environments, I’ve seen first-hand how they can navigate debris, climb stairs, and reach elevated structures that would normally require expensive and potentially risky methods of access. This means we can make faster, better-informed decisions about protecting a heritage site.
“Our drones and mobile robot, Spot, are tools that would have been invaluable during the 1984 fire. They aren’t just clever gadgets – they’re helping us safeguard our heritage and keep people safe.”
Research and innovation manager for York Minster Fund, Laura Cotter, has travelled the world to see how different heritage sites are using technology.
She added: “During a visit to Notre Dame in 2019, only nine weeks after the fire, I saw robots being utilised to move debris from beneath the fallen tower. The anniversary of the 1984 York Minster fire highlighted to me the lengths people went to rescue the Minster’s fabric and contents without robotic assistance.
“I considered what innovations in technology could be utilised today to capture vital data, in unpredictable and hazardous conditions, to inform repair priorities and approaches.
“The 1984 fire caused the rose window to shatter into 40,000 pieces and took four years to access and repair. Without extensive scaffolding we still do not have the ability to access the rose window to monitor how the repairs are performing.
“It is incredibly difficult to reach this area, even with modern drone technology, without putting the Minster’s precious medieval glass at risk of collision. Technology will continue to advance, and it will change the way heritage buildings are monitored and maintained around the world.”
