In industrial facilities with complex machinery, hazardous materials, and high-risk processes, unnoticed issues can escalate quickly. Operators need to respond quickly without putting people at risk when the unexpected happens. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) reported approximately 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries last year. What if you could minimize personnel exposure to potential hazards while increasing situational awareness?
In our latest software update (24.09), ANYmal’s Workforce App enables field personnel to extend the reach of ANYmal in an emergency response safely. Equipping them with real-time ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground. ANYmal’s Rapid Response function provides operators with remote live feedback and facility insight without having to enter critical zones themselves.
Traditional Emergency Response vs. Robotic Intervention
In a typical industrial emergency, an alarm triggers the need for swift human action.
Often in full protective gear, human responders are dispatched to the site. Their first task is to assess the situation, including identifying hazards such as fire, chemical leaks, or structural instability. However, this approach carries significant risks. Entering hazardous environments without full knowledge of what to expect can lead to injury or worse, highlighting the inherent risks of traditional emergency response.
The introduction of ANYmal’s Rapid Response function represents a transformative change in handling emergencies. Instead of sending human responders into potentially dangerous situations, ANYmal can be autonomously dispatched to the scene as soon as an alarm is triggered. Once on site, the operator can switch to teleoperation, allowing a thorough inspection beyond pre-programmed routes. This allows for collecting critical data, such as temperature readings or visual cues that may indicate a malfunction. With this approach, decisions can be made faster and more confidently, ensuring that human intervention is only required when necessary.
ANYmal’s Rapid Response functionality, included as standard with every new unit from software release 24.09, marks a new era in emergency management, where the primary objective is to protect human life while efficiently managing the situation.
Understanding Rapid Response and Its Capabilities
With the release of Rapid Response, you get advanced features tailored to each phase involved in an emergency. This ranges from the autonomous dispatch of ANYmal to the affected area to collecting situational information.
The 5 steps of Rapid Response during emergencies.
Autonomous Dispatch: In this phase, ANYmal is automatically dispatched to the accident site based on an alarm and immediately starts its mission to gather information. Rapid Response uses an existing digital twin when deploying ANYmal on an ad hoc emergency mission. This allows the remote operator to get ANYmal as close as possible to the desired area without constant teleoperation. Simply place a 3D drag-and-drop marker in the desired area of interest. Once set, the calculated path to the target is highlighted along existing routes.
Transfer Monitoring: On the way to the accident site, remote operators can activate a live view of ANYmal via onboard cameras and a top-down view of the plant layout. The attention required to get ANYmal to the desired area is minimal, allowing the operator to focus on other emergency protocols. ANYmal will also reach the desired location regardless of potential network delays or dropouts. Once ANYmal has reached its location, the remote operator is notified.
Anomaly Search: After the handover from autonomous to remote operation, personnel can steer the robot beyond existing waypoints to the optimal location for the emergency inspection. Using ANYmal’s inspection payload equipped with a 20x zoom and thermal cameras, a 360-degree view allows remote operators to locate valves, gauges, or other instruments from a distance with a simple gesture. The ANYmal navigation system safely maneuvers the robot through challenging environments, allowing the remote operator to focus on locating the source of the alarm.
Data Collection: Once the anomaly is identified, the remote operator can collect the necessary information and send it to the control center. The information collected allows operators to make quick, informed decisions, such as shutting down machinery, evacuating areas, or calling in additional emergency services.
ANYmal autonomously walks to the accident site with obstacle avoidance
Real-World Benefits
- Reduced Human Risk: By allowing ANYmal to perform initial inspections and data collection, the exposure of human responders to hazardous environments is significantly minimized.
- Operators can focus on other critical tasks: ANYmal can perform its duties with minimal human supervision, freeing operators to focus on other critical tasks during an emergency.
- Rapid Decision-Making: The real-time data collected by ANYmal enables operators to make informed, timely decisions that can mean the difference between a controlled situation and a disaster.
To experience the full power of ANYmal and secure your operations, upgrade to the latest software release (24.09) and unlock the power of Rapid Response. Don’t wait for an emergency to test your preparedness – get the latest update and improve your facility’s emergency response today.