This robot inspects oil rigs better than humans – and that’s how much it costs
“Anymal” learned to walk by itself using AI. Now the robot is taking on tasks for industry
Quelle: Anybotics
The Swiss start-up Anybotics has built a robot as a research project. In the meantime, “Anymal” is also used in various versions in industry. Companies rent or buy it to automate tasks in their facilities.
Roboter, like years ago only seen in movies, are becoming a reality. The two-legged or four-legged machines can move like humans or animals – and are already superior to us in some tasks.
A pioneer in this area is Anybotics from Zurich. The Swiss robots inspect industrial plants such as drilling platforms and, in contrast to human workers, are in use almost constantly. Also at night and on weekends.
Anybotics has just raised the equivalent of 46 million euros ($50 million) in a round of financing. Series B is led by Walden Catalyst and NGP Capital. Additional money came from Bessemer Venture Partners, Aramco Ventures, Swisscom Ventures and Swisscanto Private Equity.
Among other things, the money goes into development and internationalization, but not into financing the hardware. The start-up relies on loans, among other things, as “Gründerszene” found out when asked by founder and CEO Péter Fankhauser.
He started Anybotics together with other scientists in 2016 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich. The institution is still a shareholder of the start-up today.
Fankhauser received his doctorate from the university and holds a PhD in the field of robotics. In addition to robotics, the start-up relies on artificial intelligence for the movement of the robot and the analysis of the data that the device collects through sensors.
Anybotics robot costs 8,000 euros a month
What began as a research project is already being used in industry today. The robot, christened “Anymal”, is either bought or rented in various versions by customers for around 8,000 euros a month. According to Fankhauser, around ten robots are used per system.
The annual costs for a system can therefore be around one million euros. According to the start-up, it has pre-orders and reservations worth the equivalent of 138 million euros ($150 million).
Customers come from the oil, gas and chemical industries, such as Petronas, Shell, Siemens Energy and BASF. They rely on Anybotics robots to automate inspections in their facilities. The robots move as freely as possible, can overcome small obstacles, climb stairs and use various sensors to monitor temperature fluctuations on machines or read values that a human would otherwise monitor.
The electrically operated robots can be in use for two hours, after which their batteries also need a charging time of two hours before they are ready for use again. The machine could theoretically operate for twelve hours a day.
According to founder and CEO Péter Fankhauser, the robots can be used by customers for months without maintenance by his start-up. However, the customer has to regularly clean the sensors, which can easily get dirty in an industrial environment. According to Fankhauser, the robots are not primarily intended to replace human workers, but rather to take on work that sometimes takes place in dangerous places.
Role model Boston Dynamics?
Internationally, Anybotics competes with, among others Boston Dynamics. They regularly become viral hits with their robots because they can also perform tricks such as somersaults.
With the robot dog “Spot”, Boston Dynamics has a machine in its portfolio that can also be used for inspection in industry. In addition, the robotics company has Hyundai, a billionaire shareholder, behind it.
Anybotics was also inspired by the Boston Dynamics videos, says Fankhauser. However, his company has a clear focus on industry, while the Americans, which started in 1992, are currently still taking a less specialized approach.
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