ANYbotics Starts Deliveries of Explosion-Protected Quadrupeds

ZURICH, Switzerland -- ANYbotics AG, a manufacturer of quadrupedal robots, started delivery of explosion-proof ANYmal X to clients from the oil and gas, and chemical sectors.

The Zurich-based company announced Oct. 27 that Equinor and DSM-Firmenich are two of those clients receiving their robots. The number of delivered units and prices were not specified.

ANYmal X is developed specifically to perform the inspection in hazardous places where standard robots could ignite flammable environment and cause an explosion. The robot climbs up and down stairs and passes narrow passages using cameras, thermal imaging and acoustic sensors to detect overheating, leaking or unusual noises from the equipment. Gas detection is available optionally.

In order to minimize the risk of ignition, ANYbotics installed nitrogen-filled sealed chambers for electronics, explosion-proof casings for batteries and 12 leg actuators, conductive feet and temperature control system in ANYmal X.
BP, Equinor, Shell, PETRONAS, Petrobras, BASF, and SLB have reportedly been testing ANYmal X since 2023 via an early access program. These tests spanned hundreds of inspections in onshore and offshore settings.

ANYmal X robot works using ANYbotics' Shift software platform that lets the operator schedule inspections, track the robots and analyze data collected by integrating it with industry maintenance solutions of SAP, Yokogawa and SLB.

According to ANYbotics, more than 50 customers from power, metals and material industries use its inspection solutions for more than 120,000 autonomous inspections per month. These numbers do not account for ANYmal X operations.

The manufacturer has not disclosed the number of ANYmal X robots, newly delivered to the customers, that have entered into regular use by the clients.