ANYmal X is an autonomous quadruped robot that can perform scalable inspections. | Source: ANYbotics
ANYbotics opened up commercial orders for ANYmal X, the company’s quadruped robot. The company said it has more than 500 ANYmal X quadrupeds reserved already, and it plans for the first deliveries of ANYmal X to begin in mid-2023. ANYbotics made the announcement at the SPRINT Robotics World Conference for Inspection and Maintenance Robots.
ANYbotics introduced ANYmal X, the latest version of its series 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.
“ANYmal X closes an important technical gap, conducting automated inspections in very complex environments, with stairs and tight passages, and this in combination with Ex-zones, that’s a novelty!” Peter Welter, the Automation Manager at BASF, said.
ANYmal has been available to customers through the company’s Early Adopter Program (EAP). Participants in the EAP have been using ANYmal X for inspections for several months. One of those customers is the global energy company PETRONAS.
PETRONAS and ANYbotics have been working together since 2019, and are now rolling out the use of ANYmal X in PETRONAS’ facilities. The companies are progressing well in their overall deployment plan, which includes upstream platforms, terminals and downstream plants. The robot is currently on deployment at a PETRONAS offshore platform in Malaysia, where the companies are focusing on integration to existing workflow and scale-up.
“Having ANYmal X Ex-certified drives innovation in R&D to go beyond conventional applications, thus improving the safety and efficiency of our operations,” Iskandar Al-Thani Mahmood, the robotics manager at PETRONAS, said.
To meet its mid-2023 timeline for the first deliveries of ANYmal X, ANYbotics has implemented a program through its global manufacturing partner network to scale production output and meet future demand.
ANYbotics, an ETH Zurich spin-off, was founded in 2016. In December 2020, ANYbotics closed a $22.3 million Series A funding round to help it scale its quadruped solution.
The company faces competition in the quadruped space from Boston Dynamics’ Spot. Spot’s latest update was released in August 2022, which included built-in data processing and review, an improved data collection pipeline and a better operator experience, among other things. Spot was first commercialized in June 2020.
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