With ANYmal, Zurich-based ANYbotics has developed a four-legged robot that can see, hear and move around in demanding environments. It is supposed to inspect and monitor industrial plants or sewer systems and take on dangerous maintenance tasks.
The robotics company is now launching its new end-to-end robotic inspection solution for operators of energy and industrial processing plants. ANYbotics’ new fully autonomous four-legged robot “ANYmal D” and its inspection analytics software provide a scalable solution to automate routine condition monitoring of equipment and infrastructure.
The robot provides large-scale autonomy, including obstacle avoidance and self-charging via a docking station for routine inspection tasks without human intervention.
A pan-tilt inspection unit is mounted on top of the robot, comprising several different sensors for accurate and reliable visual, thermal, and acoustic measurements, as well as inspection intelligence software covering some of the most relevant industrial inspection tasks. The dashcam has remote pan and tilt options for a better image of an area.
The ANYmal D robot can climb stairs and squeeze into areas that might otherwise be inaccessible for more traditional wheeled robotics while also tackling rugged terrain and avoiding obstacles. The robot can conduct inspection autonomously and return to its charging dock when the battery is low.
Built for harsh environments, the robot is IP67 water- and dust-proof ingress protected for use in indoor and outdoor environments in all weather conditions. And if the robotic inspector needs to venture into the dark corners of the facility, there is a 3,500 lumen LED spotlight to light things up.
If a problem is detected during its rounds, the autonomous robot sends an alert to the control room via Wi-Fi, or optionally via a 4G/LTE module, for a human technician to follow up. The ANYmal D is designed to work day and night and has a range of 90 minutes per charge.
“Acting as a single point-of-contact, ANYbotics’ experts closely work with the customer in evaluating the tasks to be automated and prepare the organization for the deployment of autonomous mobile inspection robots,” the company said in a statement. “The team checks the feasibility and impact in simulations, on-site demonstrations, and long-term pilot deployments. Once the implementation roadmap is established, the team trains the customer in commissioning and supports in scaling the system throughout their facilities.”
The company has started onboarding early customers to bring robotic inspection into their facilities. It is taking pre-orders and will start delivering its new ANYmal D units to customers in the second half of 2021.
