Effective Inspection Robots Demand Robust, Resilient Design

Industrial inspection robots must be robust to withstand extreme temperatures, dust, moisture, and hazardous substances indoors and outdoors. This resilience ensures reliable performance in harsh environments that wear out less durable equipment.

For example, they inspect high-temperature machines or dusty cement plants in the chemical industry. In the oil and gas industry, they detect leaks on offshore platforms or in corrosive refineries. In mining, they navigate through damp, dusty tunnels to check equipment. Energy suppliers use them to monitor power lines outdoors or turbines in extreme weather conditions.

Their rugged design protects sensitive electronics, minimizes wear, prevents breakdowns, and ensures uninterrupted operation—making them indispensable for continuous monitoring.

The IP67 rating is the industry standard for protection in inspection robots, ensuring they are fully dust-tight and can withstand temporary immersion in water up to one meter for 30 minutes. This certification protects sensitive components from dust, moisture, corrosive substances, and other contaminants, enabling reliable operation in harsh industrial environments. This durability minimizes wear on electronics, extends service life, and reduces maintenance needs, making these robots invaluable for challenging applications.

Robots with an IP67 rating are highly resilient and capable of enduring aggressive contaminants like chemicals and fine particles. They can be easily cleaned, including with high-pressure washing, making them well-suited for environments requiring strict hygiene or frequent exposure to debris. This robust protection reduces operator intervention, ensures uninterrupted operation, and enhances productivity and safety in demanding industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and utilities.

Leading ground inspection robots are designed for specific environments. Boston Dynamics’ Spot, with an IP54 rating, is ideal for indoor and temperate outdoor conditions. In contrast, Unitree’s B2 and ANYbotics’ ANYmal, both IP67-rated, excel in harsher outdoor conditions, with ANYmal also capable of autonomously navigating stairs, expanding its usability in complex environments.

When it comes to hazardous and potentially explosive areas, which are ubiquitous in the oil & gas and chemical industries and require intrinsically safe equipment with ATEX/IECEx certification, only three ground robots currently available meet the certification requirements:

• ExRobotics’ tracked ExR-2 (IP67 rating), which navigates on flat surfaces.
• Taurob’s Inspector (IP67 rating) with flexible tracks that can negotiate stairs.
• ANYbotics’ ANYmal X (IP67 rating) is the only legged robot that can navigate complex multi-story facilities.

For industrial inspection robots such as ANYmal from ANYbotics, the IP67 protection class is more than just a specification — it is crucial for durability. Designed for long-term indoor and outdoor use, ANYmal can withstand dirt, grime, and moisture without compromising its performance, thanks to its robust design and IP67 rating.

ANYmal’s advanced design is ideal for high-risk environments, such as nuclear facilities, and enables safe, autonomous monitoring without human intervention. Its mobility, navigation capabilities, and offline operation make it ideal for remote or hazardous locations, while removable fans allow for easy cleaning after contact with contaminants. ANYmal is a weatherproof, low-maintenance solution that combines resilience and efficiency to meet the challenges of the most demanding industrial environments.

Extensive tests prove ANYmal’s resilience under real-life conditions, such as continuous operation in the EWZ substation in Zurich in rain, snow, and fluctuating temperatures.

ANYmal’s robust design and IP67 rating are essential for full functionality in harsh, wet, and dirty conditions.

When one of ANYbotics’ customers was hit by severe flooding, its plant was inundated, halting production and submerging equipment for days. ANYmal was buried under mud when the water level receded. Although the IP67 rating prepares the device for harsh conditions, this unplanned “test” furthers those limits. The team at ANYbotics was able to retrieve the robot. “We powered ANYmal back up, the cooling fan started, the legs moved, and… it stood up, fully functional,” reported the ANYbotics team.

This remarkable recovery demonstrated that ANYmal’s robust design isn’t just a specification—it’s a real-world advantage, proving its capability to endure even the most unpredictable situations.

As the industry increasingly relies on robotic solutions for essential inspection tasks, durability and resilience are paramount. Robots such as ANYmal, equipped with IP67 protection and advanced design features, set new standards for operational reliability, proving they can withstand the daily rigors of industrial environments and unforeseen challenges such as flooding. In highly sensitive facilities where consistent, autonomous monitoring is critical, these robust inspection robots ensure safety, reduce downtime, and increase productivity – changing industrial maintenance and monitoring practices for the better.