Boston Dynamics releases Spot and Orbit 5.1 update

Boston Dynamics announced the release of update 5.1 for its Spot robot dog and Orbit fleet management platform.

The company said that 5.1 helps Spot users accelerate their deployments with new workflows, enterprise-level controls, and a refreshed data collection payload.

Update 5.0 for Spot and Orbit was released in May 2025.

AI model improvements

Boston Dynamics said it envisions a world where Spot & Orbit continuously learn about customer facilities to get even better over time. The company said that Orbit AIVI learning is the first step in that direction; this series of models, hosted by Boston Dynamics, will continue to improve based on the most valuable, common inspections Spot conducts.

Boston Dynamics said that this cloud-hosted intelligence enables multiple, larger models that can update regularly without updating Orbit software. This means that new inspections can be added without disrupting existing workflows. 

Additionally, the company said it is expanding AIVI to use images captured with Spot’s body and gripper cameras. Boston Dynamics said that this allows Spot customers with Spot Arm to utilize that additional reach to inspect dark or difficult-to-access areas, bringing even more flexibility to inspections.

All new Spot Cam

The company said that the new Spot Cam 2 payload brings the familiar capabilities of Spot Cam+IR with some key features that give the optional acoustic imager all-new perspectives from Spot. This second-generation Spot Cam now has a 4K pan-tilt-zoom camera with 25x optical zoom, an integrated radiometric thermal camera, and a 360 x 130º spherical camera.

The on-board accessory bay is compatible with Sorama L642 or Fluke SV600 acoustic imager, which Boston Dynamics said brings more flexibility for sensor pointing for acoustic inspections. The accessory bay will allow for future payload attachments and integrations.

Finally, the new Spot Cam can be front or rear mounted, and is equipped with eight ultra-bright LED lights for illumination in dark environments.

New security patrol & mission interrupts

In addition to monitoring critical equipment and facility compliance, 5.1 introduces security patrol as a new mission type. Boston Dynamics said that these missions offer visibility to customers seeking eyes on their operation during off-hours or more security coverage in sensitive areas of their operation. If Spot detects a person during these patrol missions, the robot will pause, activate AV lights, capture PTZ, pano, and thermal images, trigger an alert and resume its mission path.

Boston Dynamics said that the additional new mission behaviors mean Spot can pause, redirect or end missions based on what it sees, no operator needed. Users can put up fiducials on mission paths that allow Spot to return to dock, or sit down and stay there indefinitely.

For more details on Spot and Orbit update 5.1, click here.