ANYmal can now inspect more of facilities in processing industries. Source: ANYbotics
Closed doors have been a barrier for mobile inspection robots in processing industries such as energy, metals, mining, and chemicals. ANYbotics today said it has partnered with dormakaba and LEGIC Identsystems AG to add automated door-access capabilities to its ANYmal robot fleet.
“Inspection only delivers value if the robot can reach the asset, and a closed door was the one obstacle that stopped our robots from covering the most critical parts of a plant,” said Jacob Euler-Rolle, product manager, workflow integration, at ANYbotics. “Solving it with LEGIC and dormakaba means ANYmal can now inspect where it matters most, without rebuilding any infrastructure.”
“Our customers do not buy robots; they buy a solution to their operational challenges: less unplanned downtime and fewer people in hazardous areas,” stated Péter Fankhauser, co-founder and CEO of ANYbotics. “With dormakaba and LEGIC, ANYmal can move through doors like any authorized colleague, under the same rules and the same audit trail. The access-controlled door pilot has proven this works in a live operating environment, and we will now make that function available as an add-on across the entire ANYmal fleet.”
Spun out of ETH Zurich in 2016, ANYbotics said its ANYmal quadrupeds are designed for routine inspections, remote operations, and predictive maintenance of critical assets. It claimed that they can address labor shortages, increase plant uptime, reduce costs, and limit human exposure to hazardous areas. The Zurich-based company has about 200 staffers and has obtained more than $150 million in funding to date.
ANYbotics and dormakaba expand robot navigation
ANYbotics said its robots can now navigate through both unlocked and locked doors across complex, multi-zone environments without requiring structural modifications or manual intervention.
When ANYmal approaches an unlocked door on its planned route, a radar sensor detects its presence and triggers a retrofitted dormakaba ED 100 or ED 250 mounted on the door. The door opens automatically, ANYmal passes through, and the door closes behind it.
This system works on existing doors and complies with indoor, outdoor, and fire-rated specifications, according to ANYbotics. To support deployment, dormakaba’s localized teams handle surveying, hardware quoting, and installation for the company‘s customers.
“Dormakaba’s ED 100 and ED 250 are swing door operators that are largely independent of the door type,” Euler-Rolle told The Robot Report. “They can automate almost any swing door within their specification and are retrofitted onto the customer’s existing door rather than requiring a specific brand or a new door.”
ANYbotics offers a tele-assist feature to handle routine exceptions, allowing a remote operator to resolve the issue, adapt the mission, or direct the robot back to its dock, he added.
Register now and help us celebrate 20 years of RoboBusiness!LEGIC Identsystems helps with secure doors
For doors in secure or restricted areas, presence detection alone is not enough. To address locked doors, the partners have integrated their core technologies. ANYbotics provides the autonomous mobile robot (AMR), LEGIC Identsystems supplies the secure digital credential technology, and dormakaba provides the access management and door automation systems.
“With this project, we are taking a major step into physical AI, extending LEGIC’s secure access credential technologies from people and objects to machines,” said Mehdi Elhaoussine, general manager at LEGIC.
The new authentication system allows plant operators to maintain control over who or what enters specific areas. They can manage ANYmal’s movement with existing security systems and limit access to defined zones, operating windows, or inspection tasks.
Rather than bypassing plant security or leaving controlled doors permanently open, ANYmal carries a LEGIC security payload that gives it a trusted digital identity. As the robot approaches a protected doorway, it requests access electronically from dormakaba’s exos system. It determines whether to grant access based on predefined permissions, unlocking the door automatically for ANYmal.
How does the system handle the risk of people following the robot into areas for which they don’t have authorization?
“Tailgating is an inherent risk of access-control doors, and the robot inherits the facility’s existing security protocols rather than replacing them,” replied Euler-Rolle. “The robot authenticates and passes through doors just like a badged employee. It does not change the door’s own anti-tailgating measures, nor does it weaken or override existing physical security measures — such as mantraps, interlocks, cameras, or guard protocols.”
“Consequently, someone tailgating a robot creates the same security event as someone tailgating a human, triggering the site’s standard countermeasures,” he said. “Additionally, because the robot logs every credential scan and transit with a precise timestamp, it creates a clear audit trail that provides better visibility than a manually propped-open door.”
LEGIC’s credential and trust technology is licensed and integrated across a broad range of access-management systems industrywide, giving ANYbotics compatibility with existing plants, noted Euler-Rolle. The local security team can handle any exceptions without bringing in third parties.
ANYbotics, dormakaba, and LEGIC Identsystems have demonstrated automated access to controlled doors. Source: ANYbotics
GE Vernova validates ANYmal access at Whitegate Power Station
GE Vernova tested the new joint solution in a live operating environment at its Whitegate power plant in County Cork, Ireland. Over several weeks of continuous testing, ANYmal has operated reliably, repeatedly requesting access, passing through controlled doors, and completing its inspection routes without manual intervention, said the companies.
“The door-passage solution allows ANYmal to move seamlessly between plant zones without compromising safety or security rules,” said Brian Carroll, a maintenance engineer at GE Vernova Whitegate. “By letting the door open automatically for the robot, we can automate routine inspection runs across the entire facility while keeping fire and security barriers intact.”
The new access-control add-on will be available to current ANYbotics deployments and future ANYmal hardware platforms later this year. ANYbotics, dormakaba, and LEGIC Identsystems are also exploring further applications, including automated access to elevators, gates, and turnstiles in large facilities.
“The joint pilot illustrates how access solutions are evolving beyond traditional applications for human users,” said David Fuller, chief innovation officer at dormakaba. “By securely authenticating and authorizing autonomous machines, access management can become an important enabler for the next generation of industrial automation.”
The market for AMRs navigating restricted areas is linked to the inspection robotics sector, which ANYbotics’ Euller-Rolle said is growing by more than 20% annually. At the same time, many mobile robots will eventually face closed doors in industrial sites, so the potential is even greater, he said.
“Fire doors compartmentalize almost every process facility to isolate hazards, placing 30% to 50% of critical equipment behind restricted barriers,” Euler-Rolle noted. “Because autonomous value is dictated by site coverage, overcoming these physical barriers directly unlocks the full value of robotic inspection. A robot capable of reaching 100% of a plant delivers exponentially higher utility than one restricted to half the facility.”
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