Swiss firm ANYbotics has started delivering its ANYmal X autonomous inspection robot, designed to operate in hazardous and potentially explosive environments, to oil, gas and chemical industry customers, including Equinor and DSM-Firmenich.
The robot uses artificial intelligence (AI) and integrated sensors to conduct routine inspections of industrial equipment, reducing the need for personnel to enter hazardous areas while helping operators identify potential equipment failures.
ANYbotics describes ANYmal X as the world's first legged inspection robot designed for explosive atmospheres, developed over four years and supported by more than ten patents.
Since 2023, companies including BP, Equinor, Shell, Petronas, Petrobras, BASF and SLB have tested the technology across hundreds of onshore and offshore missions through ANYbotics' Early Access Program.
“Many experts thought a legged robot could never be made safe for explosive atmospheres. Oil, gas and chemical plants are among the most hazardous and most costly places to operate. That makes them the prime case for physical and industrial AI, yet until now the areas that matter most were off-limits to robots like ours. That changes today,” said Péter Fankhauser, Co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics.
ANYmal X is designed to navigate complex industrial environments, including steep stairs and narrow walkways, without requiring facility modifications.
Equipped with thermal, visual, acoustic and gas sensors, the robot can detect overheating, leaks, abnormal noise and equipment wear, recording inspection data against individual assets to help maintenance teams monitor equipment conditions and identify potential faults.
The technology is designed to meet ATEX and IECEx explosion-protection standards, which address the risk of equipment igniting flammable atmospheres.
ANYmal X (Credit: ANYbotics)
ANYbotics developed several protective measures for the robot, including nitrogen-filled sealed chambers housing its AI computer and inspection equipment, flameproof casings for its twelve leg actuators and battery, and automatic temperature monitoring and cutoffs.
Additional safeguards include conductive feet for grounding, insulated metallic components and energy barriers for charging and data transmission.
“We asked one question over and over: which credible event in the life of a walking robot could create an ignition source, and how do we make sure it never does? Working closely with the certification bodies, we answered that question component by component. The result is a new explosion-protection approach for an entire class of autonomous mobile robots,” added Andrea Corda, CTO of ANYbotics.
The robot operates through ANYbotics' Shift platform, which schedules autonomous inspection missions, organizes findings by equipment asset and tracks changes in operating conditions.
The platform can also integrate inspection findings with existing industrial maintenance systems, including SAP, Yokogawa and SLB, allowing identified issues to be converted into maintenance work orders.
ANYbotics said its inspection system is already used by more than 50 customers in the power, metals and materials sectors to conduct over 120,000 autonomous inspections each month.
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