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A robot based on the same control and navigation technology as the European Space Agency's Exomars rover is in the finals of a competition to develop a robot to work on oil and gas rigs
Total's Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites (Argos) Challenge is a three year competition that aims to encourage the creation of robots to work on hydrocarbon production sites in extreme conditions.
The Foxiris robot, developed by an international team led by Spanish firm GMV, is an all-terrain, water resistant robot, ATEX-certifiable to work in explosive atmospheres. The robot uses tracks to move with front and rear flippers added to climb stairs and over pipes.
GMV develops technology for the ESA's non-terrestrial rovers, satellite navigation, avionics and other on-board software systems, and worked on Exomars. The company is using its “knowledge of mobile space platforms to develop the end-to-end control and operation software” for Foxiris.
Total wants autonomous robots to perform routine, repetitive tasks such as inspections, as well as detect anomalies, alert operators and intervene in emergencies on oil and gas rigs in the future. The need for these robots is increasing as sites become more remote and are in more hazardous locations, said the oil and gas firm.
Kris Kydd, project manager of Argos from Total's exploration and production R&D department, said: “We want the robot to be able to move anywhere on a production facility that a human can go today.
“Then, using artificial intelligence, we want the robots to be able to read and record the values on the instrumentation, and to know autonomously whether they are normal or not. If there is an abnormal situation, the robot has to alert the remote operator.”
The Foxiris team is one of five teams, all funded by Total, which are competing in the finals. The robots are undergoing three sets of tests at a plant in Lacq, France, with the winner selected in December 2016.
The first test took place in June at a gas dehydration plant that features stairs, narrow walkways and other obstacles typical of those found in production plants. Following the first test, which lasted five days, the Argos jury commented, “Foxiris distinguished itself by its exceptional endurance.”
Foxiris carries internal navigation sensors and scientific instruments including cameras, thermal imagers, gas sensors and microphones. These allow it to inspect and monitor pressure dials, valves and level gauges, detect hot surfaces, sound alarms and localise gas leaks.
The robot is based on an off-the-shelf platform available from IdMind. The third partner is the robotics academic centre at Universidad Politécnica do Madrid.
More information on Argos can be found here.