Robot dog flips crane switch at nuclear site

A robot dog has been sent into a potentially hazardous area of a nuclear power site to switch back on a mothballed piece of equipment.

The four-legged machine – called Spot – reactivated a crane needed for lifting containers of waste at Dounreay near Thurso.

Due to safety restrictions, workers are not allowed to go near a switchboard to power up the machine. The crane had not been operational for about two years.

Spot has an attachment that allowed it to grip a short pole which it used to push the "on" button and start the crane.