ANYbotics opens the doors to inspections with ANYmal robots

Closed doors have been a barrier for mobile inspection robots in processing industries such as energy, metals, mining and chemicals. ANYbotics said today it has partnered with dormakaba and LEGIC Identsystems AG to add automated door entry capabilities to its fleet of ANYmal robots.

“Inspection only offers value if the robot can reach the asset, and a closed door was the only obstacle that prevented our robots from covering the most critical parts of a facility,” said Jacob Euler-Rolle, product manager, workflow integration, at ANYbotics. “Solving the problem with LEGIC and dormakaba means ANYmal can now inspect where it matters most, without rebuilding any infrastructure.”

“Our customers don’t buy robots; they buy a solution to their operational challenges: less unplanned downtime and fewer people in dangerous areas,” said Péter Fankhauser, co-founder and CEO of ANYbotics. “With dormakaba and LEGIC, ANYmal can traverse doors like any authorized peer, according to the same rules and control path. The Controlled Access Doors pilot has proven that it works in a live operational environment, and we will now make this feature available as an add-on across the entire ANYmal fleet.”

Born out of ETH Zurich in 2016, ANYbotics said its ANYmal quadrupeds are designed for routine inspections, remote operations and predictive maintenance of critical assets. He said they can address labor shortages, increase plant uptime, reduce costs and limit human exposure to hazardous areas. The Zurich-based company has approximately 200 employees and has secured more than $150 million in funding to date.

ANYbotics and dormakaba expand robotic navigation

ANYbotics said its robots can now navigate through both unlocked and locked doors in complex, multi-zone environments without requiring structural changes or manual intervention.

When ANYmal approaches an unlocked door along the planned route, a radar sensor detects its presence and activates a dormakaba ED 100 or ED 250 retrofitted to the door. The door opens automatically, ANYmal passes and the door closes behind it.

According to ANYbotics, this system works on existing doors and complies with interior, exterior and fire specifications. To support the implementation, dormakaba’s localized teams manage the site survey, hardware quote and installation for the company’s customers.

“The ED 100 and ED 250 from Dormakaba are swing door operators that are largely independent of the door type,” said Euler-Rolle The robot report. “They can automate almost any swing door within their specifications and can be retrofitted to the customer’s existing door rather than requiring a specific brand or new door.”

ANYbotics offers a remote assistance function to handle routine exceptions, allowing a remote operator to fix the problem, adapt the mission or return the robot to its dock, he added.

LEGIC Identsystems helps secure doors

For doors in secure or restricted areas, presence detection alone is not sufficient. To address closed doors, the partners integrated their core technologies. ANYbotics provides the autonomous mobile robot (AMR), LEGIC Identsystems provides the secure digital credential technology, and dormakaba provides the access management and door automation systems.

“With this project, we are taking an important step towards physical AI by extending LEGIC’s secure access credential technologies from people and objects to machines,” said Mehdi Elhaoussine, general manager of LEGIC.

The new authentication system allows plant operators to maintain control over who or what enters specific areas. They can manage the movement of ANYmal with existing security systems and limit access to defined zones, operational windows or inspection activities.

Instead of bypassing facility security or leaving controlled doors permanently open, ANYmal carries a LEGIC security payload that gives it a trusted digital identity. When the robot approaches a protected door, it electronically requests access to the dormakaba exos system. Determines whether to grant access based on predefined permissions, automatically unlocking the port for ANYmal.

How does the system manage the risk of people following the robot into areas for which they do not have authorization?

“Tailgating is an inherent risk of access control doors, and the robot inherits the facility’s existing security protocols rather than replacing them,” Euler-Rolle responded. “The robot authenticates and walks through doors just like a badged employee. It does not change the door’s anti-tailgating measures, nor does it weaken or override existing physical security measures, such as traps, interlocks, cameras or guard protocols.”

“As a result, someone stalking a robot creates the same security event as someone stalking a human, triggering standard site countermeasures,” he said. “Additionally, because the robot records each credential scan and transit with a precise timestamp, it creates a clear audit trail that provides better visibility than a manually opened door.”

LEG The credentialing and trust technology is licensed and integrated into a wide range of access management systems across the industry, giving ANYbotics compatibility with existing installations, Euler-Rolle noted. The local security team can handle any exceptions without involving third parties.

GE Vernova validates ANY poorly accessed Whitegate Power Station

GE Vernova tested the new joint solution in a real-time operational environment at the Whitegate power station in County Cork, Ireland. Over the course of several weeks of continuous testing, ANYmal operated reliably, repeatedly requesting access, passing through controlled doorways and completing its inspection routes without manual intervention, the companies said.

“The door-pass solution allows ANYmal to seamlessly move between areas of the plant without compromising safety or security regulations,” said Brian Carroll, maintenance engineer at GE Vernova Whitegate. “By letting the door open automatically for the robot, we can automate routine inspections throughout the facility while keeping fire and safety barriers intact.”

The new access control add-on will be available for current ANYbotics implementations and future ANYmal hardware platforms later this year. ANYbotics, dormakaba and LEGIC Identsystems are also exploring additional applications, including automated access to elevators, gates and turnstiles in large facilities.

“The joint pilot illustrates how access solutions are evolving beyond traditional applications for human users,” said David Fuller, head of innovation at dormakaba. “By securely authenticating and authorizing autonomous machines, access management can become an important enabler for the next generation of industrial automation.”

The market for AMRs that navigate in restricted areas is linked to the inspection robotics sector, which according to Euller-Rolle of ANYbotics is growing by more than 20% per year. At the same time, many mobile robots will eventually face locked doors at industrial sites, so the potential is even greater, he said.

“Fire doors compartmentalize nearly all process facilities to isolate hazards, placing 30% to 50% of critical equipment behind limited barriers,” Euler-Rolle noted. “Because autonomous value is dictated by site coverage, overcoming these physical barriers directly unlocks the full value of robotic inspection. A robot capable of reaching 100% of a facility offers exponentially greater utility than one limited to half the facility.”