In a primary for the scotch whisky business, a brand new trial with Bacardi is exploring whether or not superior robotics, resembling robotic canine, may assist determine small however doubtlessly costly ethanol leaks in ageing warehouses.
The Nationwide Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) is validating its personal robotic sensing equipment, developed at its Digital Course of Manufacturing Centre (DPMC) in Irvine, on a Boston Dynamics Spot robotic on the Bacardi-owned John Dewar & Sons maturation web site close to Glasgow. The initiative can be supported by the Scotch Whisky Analysis Institute (SWRI), based on the corporate.
The system makes use of a sensor, held by a 3D-printed arm created by NMIS engineers, to detect ethanol vapour ranges because the robotic follows an outlined path by way of the warehouse. As a part of the collaboration, Bacardi helped design the experiment and led baseline testing forward of the trial, based on the corporate.
Robotic Canine Inspections
The early-stage trial explores how autonomous inspection may very well be utilized throughout a number of industries – from whisky to chemical compounds and vitality. Whereas the main target right here is on whisky casks, the identical sensing method may additionally assist enhance effectivity on different routine inspection duties in numerous manufacturing environments, based on the corporate.
Ethanol evaporation is a pure a part of the whisky maturation course of, which occurs because the liquid sits within the barrel to age for no less than three years earlier than it legally turns into Scotch whisky. This loss is named the “angel’s share” and requires cautious monitoring to make sure as a lot liquid as doable is saved within the barrel, based on the corporate, in addition to guaranteeing security.
Conventional inspection includes vital guide dealing with and reliance on visible cues, which is time consuming and liable to inconsistency. Robotics may provide a repeatable, data-driven various – although NMIS is obvious that is an early-stage proof of idea somewhat than a stay operational system. The subsequent step for the venture may contain trialling the identical sensor in a unique sort of robotic, based on the corporate, seemingly embedding the sensor within the robotic somewhat than mounting it on an arm to ship larger reliability and improved performance.
“Our goal right here is to validate our personal sensing equipment and see whether or not robots can tackle any such inspection work,” mentioned Angus Holmes, whisky class director at Bacardi, in a information launch. “The early outcomes are promising, and it exhibits how manufacturing applied sciences being developed in Scotland are related throughout many sectors together with the whisky business. It’s been implausible to work with Bacardi on this – an important instance of an organization embracing and contributing to revolutionary new approaches for the business.”
“Formally opened earlier in 2025, the DPMC, based mostly in North Ayrshire, helps the method manufacturing industries with next-generation applied sciences, funded partly by way of the £251 million Ayrshire Progress Deal,” added Andrew Hamilton, head of the Digital Course of Manufacturing Centre. “NMIS is operated by the College of Strathclyde and a part of the Excessive Worth Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult.”
