Bureau Veritas unlocks milestone in inspection expertise with world’s first Ex-certified legged robot for global oil and gas industry

Paris, France, 15 June 2023 - Bureau Veritas (BV) has achieved a first in the field of testing and inspection following its certification of the world’s first fully autonomous Ex-certified legged inspection robot, ANYmal X, which was co-developed by ANYbotics and PETRONAS.

The certification process was completed last year by BV teams in Malaysia and Germany, providing further evidence of the company’s global impact on the energy sector as it worked in collaboration with ANYmal and PETRONAS to achieve their collective success.

“We are always looking to extend our capabilities, and certifying a world-first piece of technology is down to the hard work and knowledge of the expert team we have here. Not only does ANYmal X help to ensure accurate data is collected by asset owners and operators as they work to achieve their zero-carbon goals, but this IECEx certification is also helping to keep people safe by shielding them from potentially dangerous situations.”

Explosion protection is a vital component of efficient risk management to ensure operational safety, with systems certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx). This not only reduces the number of workers exposed to an explosive environment, but also minimises the risk of flammable materials igniting and controlling their potential consequences.

Purpose-built to withstand and function in harsh and challenging conditions, the robot can operate in darkness and is fully protected against water and dust, making it operational in humid and dusty conditions. With the ability to walk on multiple surfaces including metal, concrete, gravel and wet floors, as well as being capable of knowing its position within a centimetre of accuracy, the ANYmal X produces precise, reliable, and repeatable data collection, helping cut costs and minimise danger.

Engineering Compliance Global Services, Bureau Veritas Malaysia, Tung Pang Khien, whose team led the certification process last year, said: “The risk of major incidents in oil and gas facilities is always of critical concern. While this was a complicated certification process, we are delighted to have successfully delivered this certification project, particularly as it involved several explosion-protection concepts which will play a crucial role in keeping people safe.”

Through complete autonomous navigation and AI-based mobility, ANYmal X can seamlessly complete critical inspections in multi-storey and complex facilities. The device assesses the quickest way to perform tasks by avoiding potential obstacles and crawling where necessary, even climbing industrial stairs regardless of the surface.

The ANYmal X performs visual inspections, acoustics checks, hotspot identification and gas concentration detection in order to evaluate asset and equipment health. Using high-resolution sensors and cutting-edge machine learning, the robot delivers accurate real-time data, uploaded directly to customer systems via ANYmal X API, and monitored by an operator in a control room.