IMS Robotics Students Meet Robotic Dog ‘Spot’ at Ash Grove Cement Plant

Islander Middle School Intermediate Robotics students at Ash Grove Cement Plant in Seattle with 'Spot' a robotic dog built by Boston Dynamics 

Mercer Island, WA, March 7, 2025 – Islander Middle School Robotics and Computer Programming teacher Sarah Olson took her Intermediate Robotics students on a field trip to the Ash Grove Cement Plant in Seattle on Thursday, March 6. 

Ash Grove uses a robotic dog named ‘Spot’ at their factory to check for air quality, temperature, and other measurements. 

Boston Dynamics has been a world leader of robotic construction and the Ash Grove manager at the plant arranged for students to Zoom with one of their engineers. The Boston Dynamics engineer was able to explain the 15 years of testing that goes into building a robotic dog and showed the students the humanoid robot they are in the process of creating.

Then, the students got to "drive" Spot and see it in action, which you can see in the video above.

“It was a great opportunity to see what industries use the technology we are teaching, and I believe it inspires them to dream big,” said Olson.

“I am appreciative of the support the IMS robotics and tech classes receive from our administrators,” continued Olson. “This trip would not have happened without the support of IMS co-principal Aaron Miller and College and Career Readiness Coordinator Jen McLellan.”

Boston Dynamics is very proud of their work and believes Spot is changing how organizations monitor and operate their sites, ensure the safety of their teams, and make data-driven decisions.