inspection

supports construction managers by automating progress monitoring quality control, and regular safety checks during construction with Lidar-based reality capturing and integration with digital twin platforms.
Our robots provide plant operators the information to maximize equipment uptime and improve safety while reducing costs.
The ANYmal walking robot ‘s been around for a couple years now, and also got some wheels last year.
Now Switzerland’s ANYbotics has announced a new fully autonomous four-legged robot in conjunction with inspection analytics software for complete end-to-end inspection of energy and industrial processing plants.
ANYbotics said its team, which has been building legged robots for more than 10 years, developed the ANYmal C from the feet up based on industry requirements.
At the core, powerful torque-controllable actuators have been designed to carry the next-generation robot over steep stairs also to reliably take the strain of over a million cycles, said the business.

ANYbotics introduced ANYmal X, the latest version of its group of quadruped robots, in March 2022.
ANYmal X was designed and certified for usage in hazardous and potentially explosive environments (ex-certified), like oil, gas and chemical operations.

All that said, energy, construction and processing spaces have historically presented challenges for some wheeled robots.
Because of this, the four-legged ANYmal offers a helpful alternative, as its limbs enable the machine to raised navigate the tight spaces and steep stairs of many such sites.
Artificial Intelligence brings the inspection capabilities of ANYmal to a fresh level.
ANYmal’s onboard inspection intelligence provides the capability to analyze inspection data on the fly to trigger additional behavior to maximize the standard of the inspection results.
For example, ANYmal positions itself differently if an inspection point doesn’t provide the relevant information, such as for example adjusting the angle of inspection to avoid glare on a gauge and crouching down to take a closer look.

Today, ANYbotics is launching its first certified commercial product as part of its integrated end-to-end robotic inspection solution.
The energy, oil and gas, processing, and several other industries have been eagerly awaiting mobile robots to boost safety and efficiency in their operations, said ANYbotics.
To navigate the complex infrastructure of industrial plants, ANYbotics’ quadruped robot can move on steps and stairs without the need for any adaptations to a facility.
Carrying various sensors such as visual and thermal cameras, lidar, microphones, and gas detection sensors, ANYmal can perceive and interpret an easy range of physical properties.
The system can evaluate instruments, check for the status of objects, detect hotspots, and sense gases — even in situations that are threatening to human inspectors.
So far, the company has introduced this product to some early customers to be able to see how the inspection solution works for his or her facilities.

Inspection Intelligence

That is why, plant operators manually perform routine inspection rounds multiple times a day, often in unpleasant or potentially hazardous settings.
Plant operators are required to pay special attention to the infrastructure where flammable and potentially explosive matter is processed.
Ensuring availability and safety in these operationally intricate facilities requires frequent inspections and detailed monitoring.
Often, these inspections must be performed in or near potentially hazardous environments, and therefore all on-site equipment must be Ex-certified as safe for used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

• Our team of robotic inspection experts provides hardware and software integrations to adapt ANYmal to your plant’s inspection requirements.
• Often, these inspections must be performed in or close to potentially hazardous environments, and for that reason all on-site equipment must be Ex-certified as safe for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
• After two hours of operations about the same battery charge, the robot autonomously connects to a docking station for recharging.
• Cracks can form with techniques that are problematic for fixed transducers to ascertain.

Railways, Wind Energy, Mining, Construction).
Our customers are large asset operators and providers of industrial plants pioneering robotics technology for inspection and maintenance.

For safe usage in hazardous and potentially explosive environments, all systems need protection against any gas ignition.
Robots use motors, electronics, batteries, and in ANYmal X’s case, self-contained systems.

Alstom Inspection Robotics

ANYbotics also developed robot joint ANYdrive, an joint actuator unit satisfying probably the most advanced interaction requirements for any robot-like device.
Providing the necessary routine inspection data, ANYbotics’ fully autonomous mobile solution found immediate appeal in a number of industries.
Environmental perception is enabled through rotating line-LIDAR sensors, stereo and wide-angle cameras; sensors in the rubber feet provide haptic information, enabling safe locomotion even yet in case the robot is completely blind.
The robot provides large-scale autonomy, including obstacle avoidance and self-charging via a docking station for routine inspection tasks without human intervention.
The robot includes a pan-tilt inspection unit on its back with sensors for visual, thermal and acoustic measurements.
And really should the robotic inspector need to venture into dark corners of the facility, there is a 3,500-lumens LED spotlight to brighten things up.

Lidar and depth cameras give a 360-degree, high-precision view of the robot’s environment, stated ANYbotics.
Performing autonomous routine inspection with ANYmal C enables operators to collect and interpret various equipment and environment properties safely and reliably.

End-to-end Robotic Inspection

Up to now, Spot has been deployed to check on the vital signs of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, take radiation measurements at nuclear power plants like Chernobyl, and remind visitors to maintain social distance amid the pandemic.
NASA in addition has been sending teams of Boston Dynamics’ robotic dogs into caves to see if they can one day be used to search for life on other planets.