IFS, provider of industrial AI software, and Boston Dynamics, a leader in mobile robotics, are collaborating to transform how asset-intensive organizations manage and optimize their field operations. 

IFS and Boston Dynamics revealed the joint solution for the first time at Industrial X Unleashed in New York, on Nov. 13

Uniting Boston Dynamics' autonomous inspection robots with the power of IFS.ai creates a fully agentic AI system that connects sensing, predictive decision-making and action in the field. With labor and skills shortages impacting industrial customers, leading to service gaps and prolonged outages, there exists an urgent need for technology that can supplement field workers.

“Asset-intensive organizations face unrelenting pressure to improve operational performance,” says IFS Chief Product Officer Christian Pedersen. “Together with Boston Dynamics, we’re delivering a truly autonomous system that connects the physical and digital worlds for the first time. IFS.ai and IFS Loops turn robot observations into enterprise action, from preventative maintenance scheduling to predictive failure analysis and automated anomaly detection. Data flows from the field into enterprise systems, decisions are made autonomously, and actions are executed back in the field, all within a single integrated platform.”

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots inspect industrial assets and sites, capturing critical operational data in real-time. Spot uses thermal cameras to detect overheating, can listen to air or gas leaks, read analog gauges for pressure and flow, check indicator lights, identify hazards like spills or detect voltage anomalies. This information feeds directly into IFS.ai where agentic AI analyzes the data, makes intelligent decisions and triggers appropriate actions — creating a seamless loop from sensing to execution.

“This collaboration represents the future of industrial operations,” says Merry Frayne, director of product, Boston Dynamics. “Our robots excel at navigating complex environments and gathering critical data. Combined with IFS’s agentic decision-making capabilities, we're enabling organizations to achieve levels of operational excellence and safety that simply weren’t possible before.”

The collaboration focuses on serving industries where field operations are critical, including manufacturing, energy, utilities, mining and other asset-intensive sectors. With field workers comprising part of the 70% of the world’s workforce that do not work behind a desk, IFS and Boston Dynamics are unlocking value in areas that have remained underserved by generic AI applications.

Together, IFS and Boston Dynamics are targeting measurable improvements across three critical operational metrics:

• Safety: Autonomous inspections reduce human exposure to hazardous environments while increasing inspection frequency and thoroughness
• Efficiency: Intelligent automation enables faster decision-making and response times, optimizing resource allocation
• Uptime: Predictive insights and automated actions help prevent failures before they occur, maximizing asset availability