Utilities face unprecedented pressure: electrification growth, aging infrastructure, increased weather volatility, and a shrinking skilled labor pool. In response, several utilities such as Eversure are deploying robotics and physical AI to accelerate inspections, reduce risk and optimize workforce utilization.
Introducing Boston Dynamics’ Spot into utility task flows, combined with IFS Cloud’s AI-driven mission planning, highlights how physical AI is becoming a mainstream operational capability rather than a speculative innovation. This was highlighted during the IFS Industrial X Unleashed event in the session “The Next Frontier: AI Executing in the Physical World.”
In densely populated regions such as metropolitan Boston, manhole and underground equipment inspections can require four to six employees per site for safety supervision, confined-space entry and equipment handling. By using robots for preliminary or full inspections, utilities can redirect 50% or more of those crews to high-priority infrastructure projects, including grid hardening or substation modernization. This unlocks immediate productivity benefits without waiting for long-cycle hiring or apprenticeship programs.
Reducing Risk and Increasing Throughput
Eversure executives described how robotics directly addresses two compounding challenges: Workforce shortages and rising workload demands. A single robot equipped with thermal, acoustic, gas detection and visual sensors can complete missions that previously demanded multiple field specialists with distinct skill sets. The repeatability of robotic inspection also improves data reliability, which is a foundational requirement for predictive maintenance programs that are increasingly driven by AI.
Case studies from international utilities that adopted similar approaches show quantifiable gains. One European operator reported 40% faster inspection cycles and a 25% reduction in emergency dispatches after deploying autonomous robotics for substation monitoring. These measurable improvements reflect a broader pattern: robots compress the time between anomaly detection and corrective action, strengthening grid resilience.
Integrating Robotics Into ERP and EAM Workflows
For CIOs and VP-level technology leaders, the biggest question is how robotics fits into existing enterprise architectures. The IFS–Boston Dynamics integration offers a blueprint: robots become addressable enterprise resources complete with calendars, skills, maintenance schedules and dispatch logic like human technicians. When an ERP or EAM workflow identifies an issue, the planning engine evaluates whether a robot or human (or both) should perform the job.
To ensure successful adoption, utility executives should evaluate providers on interoperability with existing operational systems, sensor accuracy, network reliability in challenging environments, and support for edge AI workloads when connectivity is limited. Organizations that adopt a robotics-first mindset for hazardous inspections will likely achieve significant throughput and safety improvements.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Utility teams can benefit from accelerated task velocity. Utility teams can complete more inspections with fewer labor hours, improving grid reliability while reducing field crew fatigue. ERP leaders benefit from faster work orders and more predictable scheduling.
Utility teams have access to stronger asset intelligence. Robotic inspections feed ERPs and EAMs with higher-fidelity data than sporadic human rounds, enhancing asset health forecasting. This supports more confident investment planning across substations, underground networks, and transmission infrastructure.
Robotics, armed with better information, can perform safer field operations. Robots reduce confined-space and high-risk site exposure, shrinking both safety incidents and compliance burdens. ERP-managed safety metrics and audits become easier to maintain with fewer human entries in dangerous environments.
