ANYbotics Introduces First Ex-Proof Quad-Legged Inspection Robot

Swiss robotics company, ANYbotics, is a designer and developer of autonomous-legged robot solutions for industrial applications. The company’s intelligent robotic systems incorporate sensor technology, advanced motion, and safety to provide industrial customers with an autonomous solution that can handle inspection and maintenance within harsh environments.

Recently, ANYbotics announced the release of its new four-legged bot, ANYmal X. It is the world’s first ex-proof four-legged robot. This means that the bot has been designed and certified for use in potentially explosive environments, designed per regulations to contain any internal sparks or combustion inside its own case, and the outside must be at a low enough temperature to be safe in any combustible environment. ANYbotics’ new bot is set to prove itself a valuable asset to customers within the oil & gas and chemical industries. It will allow automated routine inspections for industrial plants, which serve to improve safety, operational effectiveness, and productivity.

 

ANYmal inspection robot. Image used courtesy of ANYbotics

 

ANYmal X

ANYmal X features a dynamic mobile design, full autonomy for safe navigation and movement in large-scale environments, built-in sensors for targeted movement and obstacle avoidance, and a weatherproof, as well as waterproof design. The physical design of the four-legged bot allows it to climb and descend industrial stairs, pass through narrow passageways, and other hard-to-reach areas of industrial facilities. ANYmal X has been designed to optimize routine condition monitoring tasks by collecting and reporting on visual, thermographic, and vibration data. With ANYbotics’s tailored artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms, customers can keep up-to-date with the health of their equipment and overall plant infrastructure.

 

ANYmal robot can traverse stairs, and monitor equipment using images, thermal, and other custom scan types. Image used courtesy of ANYbotics

 

In addition to reducing health, safety, and environment risks and operating expenses, ANYmal X also removes the need to move and cover costs for inspection specialists offshore. Inspection tasks conducted by ANYmal X can be worked in with existing maintenance management systems. Inspection data can be kept streamlined and analysis reports can be kept up-to-date. ANYmal X can reduce the risk of human workers entering hazardous environments, enable operations to keep running during inspections to maintain uptime, and allow operations to be improved for better workspace productivity.

ANYmal X Early Adopters Program

On March 22 of this year, ANYbotics signed a commercial agreement with the Malaysian oil and gas company, Petronas, at the Offshore Technology Conference OTC Asia. Both companies are planning to scale-up ANYmal X deployments across their facilities and further promote the bot’s deployment. ANYbotics is also fostering relationships with other industry players to expand ANYmal X’s deployment.

 

ANYmal robot video from the manufacturer, demonstrating mobility and inspection capabilities. Video used courtesy of ANYbotics

 

In a news release from last month, the research and development (R&D) Manager at Petrobas, Gustavo Levin, commented, “As Petrobas offshore platforms are large and complex assets, we need detailed and up-to-date information to keep a proper maintenance plan. ANYmal X can be an autonomous plant surveyor, an on-demand inspector, and an important tool to respond to safety incidents”.

ANYbotics has created an early adopters program so that strategic partners can trial deployments at their facilities. The program will provide access to workshops, and training on standard operating procedures, operational safety, and security. Program participants will also gain priority access to 2023 ANYmal X production deliveries. Norwegian-based energy company, Equinor, and Brazilian-based, global oil & gas producer, Petrobas, are just some of the global players that have signed up for the ANYmal X onboarding program.