ANYbotics has begun shipping ANYmal X, a quadruped inspection robot cleared to work in explosive atmospheres. The launch was announced on October 27. The company calls it the world's first legged robot with that clearance and cites four years of work and more than 10 patents.
Key takeaways
- ANYmal X meets the ATEX standard in Europe and IECEx globally
- All 12 leg actuators and the battery are protected by flameproof casings
- The AI computer and inspection gear sit in sealed, nitrogen-filled chambers
- Since 2023 the robot has been tested by BP, Equinor, Shell, PETRONAS, Petrobras, BASF and SLB, among others
- More than 50 ANYbotics customers now run over 120,000 autonomous inspections a month
What does one refinery round look like?
A refinery operator has to check pumps, compressors, valves and piping every few days. Some of them stand in a zone where flammable vapour can be present in the air.
Today that means protective gear, a handheld gas detector, an entry permit and a round on foot. Every device carried into such a zone — from a flashlight to a two-way radio — needs its own explosion-protection certificate.
An ordinary inspection robot is barred, because it can itself become an ignition source?Ignition source: Anything able to start combustion in a flammable mixture: a spark, a hot surface, an electrostatic discharge or a shock wave.. A spark at a contact, a hot motor housing or static charge on a foot is enough.
But there is a problem: a legged robot cannot be protected the way a wall-mounted sensor is.
That is the problem ANYbotics set out to solve in ANYmal X.
What actually had to be secured?
The company started with a full ignition-risk assessment covering the robot's entire service life. The question was which credible event in the life of a walking machine could create an ignition source, and how to make sure it never does.
The answers differ per subassembly. The AI computer and inspection gear were sealed into nitrogen-filled chambers — the inert gas displaces oxygen, so even a spark has nothing to set alight. All 12 leg actuators and the battery got flameproof casings.
Metallic components are insulated by non-metallic shells, and the feet carry conductive inserts that drain static charge. Automatic cutoffs watch temperature. Charging and data transmission run through energy barriers, so no connector is exposed to the hazardous zone.
| Component | Explosion-protection method |
|---|---|
| AI computer and inspection gear | Sealed nitrogen-filled chamber |
| 12 leg actuators | Flameproof casing |
| Battery | Flameproof casing |
| Metallic components | Insulated by non-metallic shells |
| Feet | Conductive inserts draining static charge |
| Thermal system | Automatic temperature cutoffs |
| Charging and data transmission | Energy barrier |
The diagram shows the logic of certification: there is no universal enclosure, only a question asked of each subassembly and three different answers depending on how that part can ignite.
What do these names mean?
Several terms from the explosion-protection trade run through this story, and without them the achievement is hard to judge.
- ATEX — the EU rule set for equipment operating in potentially explosive atmospheres. The equivalent of a roadworthiness approval, but for gear inside a hazardous zone.
- IECEx — the international certification system with the same purpose as ATEX, recognised outside the EU. Both must be obtained separately.
- Flameproof casing — an enclosure designed so that an explosion inside it cannot escape. It does not prevent ignition, it contains it.
- Nitrogen purging — filling a chamber with inert gas so there is no oxygen inside. Without oxygen there is no combustion, spark or not.
- Energy barrier — a circuit limiting energy below the ignition threshold. Used where a physical enclosure is not an option, for instance at charging connectors.
Together these explain why the certificate is not one stamp but the sum of decisions taken component by component.
Why not just seal the robot in an enclosure?
A simpler route suggests itself: fixed equipment in Ex zones hides inside heavy explosion-proof enclosures, so do the same with the robot.
The problem is that both classic methods are ruled out. A heavy explosion-proof enclosure adds mass, and a legged robot has to climb steep stairs and fit onto narrow walkways. The second standard approach — limiting electrical energy below the ignition threshold — conflicts with ANYmal X needing high-power motors and a large battery.
A third difficulty follows. An inspection robot must by definition have exposed cameras and sensors to navigate and measure anything at all. A sealed box removes the function it was built for.
So instead of one enclosure there is a set of different safeguards matched to each subassembly — and each had to pass independent certification without costing the robot payload capacity, agility or operating speed. The company calls it a new explosion-protection approach for an entire class of autonomous mobile robots.
Is it live yet?
Yes — customer deliveries have just started. ANYbotics announced the launch on October 27, 2026. The robot complies with ATEX and IECEx, and since 2023 it has been tested through an Early Access Program involving BP, Equinor, Shell, PETRONAS, Petrobras, BASF and SLB, across hundreds of onshore and offshore missions.
The fleet software is the Shift platform, which schedules missions, organises findings by asset and tracks changes over time. It integrates with plant maintenance systems including SAP, Yokogawa and SLB, and the whole system runs under ISO 27001. The first public showing of ANYmal X with its full industrial AI stack is set for ADIPEC 2026, alongside SLB and Kuwait Oil Co.
Why does this matter?
Hazardous zones were the last large stretch of industry closed to legged robots — and the one where the risk to people is highest. Clearing ANYmal X moves that boundary not through a new motion capability but through certification, the hardest and least spectacular part of physical AI engineering.
What's next?
- The public debut of ANYmal X with its full industrial AI stack takes place at ADIPEC 2026, alongside SLB and Kuwait Oil Co.
- Customer deliveries have started, with the robot going to oil, gas and chemical firms after the Early Access Program closed
- Open question: how fast further designs can be certified, since ANYbotics describes its approach as a template for a whole class of mobile robots rather than a one-off
Sources
- The Robot Report — ANYbotics begins delivering ANYmal X legged robot for explosive atmospheres
- The Robot Report — ANYbotics launches Shift to streamline robot fleet operations, scale inspections
- European Commission — Equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX)
- IECEx — Standards
