SMUD has unveiled Astro, a robotic dog equipped with cutting-edge technology, to help prevent power outages and protect the city’s electrical grid. “It’s fun being on the forefront of technology,” SMUD employee Edward Anguiano said. Astro is part of a three-year pilot program aimed at improving reliability across SMUD’s 270 substations. “He’s extremely mobile, rocks, gravel, mud, snow—he could go upstairs and downstairs,” SMUD’s Director of Substations Eric Poff. Astro’s handler, Anguiano, travels everywhere with him. “You can call me the robot handler,” Anguiano added. “I program his points of inspections and what he is going to look at and how he is going to get there. All of our substations are different, so he needs a map of how he is going to maneuver that substation.” Astro is equipped with advanced sensors, including a 4K camera, an infrared camera, and a partial discharge sensor. “So he has 16 different microphones, and what it will do is shoot sound waves, and it can detect where there is an anomaly in the sound waves,” Poff said.Astro’s technology allows him to search for threats invisible to the human eye, helping SMUD identify potential issues before they lead to equipment failure. “If we can find that before it fails, then we are improving reliability,” Poff said. Astro isn’t just helping to keep the power on—he’s the first robotic dog to work for a utility company in California. “The time and age we are in is the future,” Anguiano joked.SMUD is already planning to expand its robotic team, with two more robots named Elroy and Judy set to join Astro soon. “We’re excited about what we’ve seen so far,” Poff said. “We’re staying with the Jetsons theme. We’re bringing on Elroy and Judy here.” At roughly $300,000 each, these robotic recruits are a significant investment, but SMUD believes the cost is justified. “If we can find something before a failure of this equipment early, it really pays for itself,” Poff added. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

SMUD has unveiled Astro, a robotic dog equipped with cutting-edge technology, to help prevent power outages and protect the city’s electrical grid.

“It’s fun being on the forefront of technology,” SMUD employee Edward Anguiano said.

Astro is part of a three-year pilot program aimed at improving reliability across SMUD’s 270 substations.

“He’s extremely mobile, rocks, gravel, mud, snow—he could go upstairs and downstairs,” SMUD’s Director of Substations Eric Poff.

Astro’s handler, Anguiano, travels everywhere with him.

“You can call me the robot handler,” Anguiano added. “I program his points of inspections and what he is going to look at and how he is going to get there. All of our substations are different, so he needs a map of how he is going to maneuver that substation.”

Astro is equipped with advanced sensors, including a 4K camera, an infrared camera, and a partial discharge sensor.

“So he has 16 different microphones, and what it will do is shoot sound waves, and it can detect where there is an anomaly in the sound waves,” Poff said.

Astro’s technology allows him to search for threats invisible to the human eye, helping SMUD identify potential issues before they lead to equipment failure.

“If we can find that before it fails, then we are improving reliability,” Poff said.

Astro isn’t just helping to keep the power on—he’s the first robotic dog to work for a utility company in California.

“The time and age we are in is the future,” Anguiano joked.

SMUD is already planning to expand its robotic team, with two more robots named Elroy and Judy set to join Astro soon.

“We’re excited about what we’ve seen so far,” Poff said. “We’re staying with the Jetsons theme. We’re bringing on Elroy and Judy here.”

At roughly $300,000 each, these robotic recruits are a significant investment, but SMUD believes the cost is justified.

“If we can find something before a failure of this equipment early, it really pays for itself,” Poff added.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel