The world’s first legged inspection robot for explosive atmospheres is now set to be delivered to its customers. Called ANYmal X, the robot uses an advanced industrial AI stack to execute routine autonomous inspections in hazardous environments.Developed by ANYbotics, the robot is now shipping to several oil, gas, and chemical industry leaders, including Equinor and DSM-Firmenich.A legged robot could never be made safe for explosive atmospheres“Four years of pioneering engineering with more than ten patents went into ANYmal X,” said Péter Fankhauser, co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics. “Many experts thought a legged robot could never be made safe for explosive atmospheres. Oil, gas and chemical plants are among the most hazardous and most costly places to operate. That makes them the prime case for physical and industrial AI, yet until now the areas that matter most were off-limits to robots like ours. That changes today.”ANYmal X automates high-risk inspection rounds without requiring any facility modifications, navigating complex industrial environments such as steep stairs and narrow walkways. Its integrated thermal, visual, acoustic, and gas sensors detect overheating, leaks, abnormal noise, and equipment wear, logging every reading directly to its corresponding asset. This gives reliability engineers a standardized baseline to track asset health over time, enabling teams to spot early signs of wear and intervene before minor issues escalate into costly plant shutdowns, according to a press release.Comprehensive ignition-risk assessment for ANYmal X robot’s service lifeANYmal X was engineered from the ground up to comply with the oil, gas, and chemical sectors’ strictest safety standards. ANYbotics performed a comprehensive ignition-risk assessment for ANYmal X’s service life and implemented safeguards for each potential ignition source. Each of its components has been designed to minimize ignition risk. ANYmal X’s AI computer and inspection equipment are enclosed in nitrogen-filled, sealed chambers. Non-metallic shells insulate metallic components, conductive feet provide grounding, and automatic cutoffs monitor temperature. All twelve leg actuators and its battery are protected by flameproof casings.“We asked one question over and over: which credible event in the life of a walking robot could create an ignition source, and how do we make sure it never does?” says Andrea Corda, CTO of ANYbotics. “Working closely with the certification bodies, we answered that question component by component. The result is a new explosion-protection approach for an entire class of autonomous mobile robots.”ANYmal X’s onboard software monitors the robot’s condition before, during, and after each mission. It also tests durability against shock, vibration, corrosion, solar radiation, and salt mist to ensure all protective measures function properly in normal use.“A certified robot is only the entry ticket for inspecting oil, gas, and chemicals facilities. ANYmal X is a complete end-to-end inspection solution built for performance, safety, and security. It combines autonomous navigation, industrial AI for data interpretation, and integrations that convert findings directly into maintenance work orders. Today, more than 50 power, metals, and materials customers use this system to run over 120,000 autonomous inspections every month,” added Thierry Obédé, Chief Revenue Officer at ANYbotics.In operation, ANYmal X runs on Shift, ANYbotics’ operations platform for autonomous industrial inspection. Shift schedules robot missions, organizes findings by asset and helps maintenance teams track changes over time. It connects inspection findings with the plant systems teams already use, including SAP, Yokogawa and SLB. To ensure top-tier data protection, the whole system is developed and operated under ISO 27001 standards, as per the release.