ANYbotics opens the door for inspections with ANYmal robots

ANYmal can now inspect more of facilities in processing industries. 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.